


UNIVERSITY OF; 
(LLINOIS LIBRARY 
AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
BOOKSTACKS 


The person charging this material is re- 
sponsible for its return to the library from 
which it was withdrawn on or before the 
Latest Date stamped below. 

Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons 
for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from 


the University. . 
To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 


UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 





L161—O-1096 


Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2021 with funding from 
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 


https://archive.org/details/historyuseofhymnOObree_O 


The Jameel and Use 


Hymns and Pera Biries 


BY THE 


REV. DAVID_R. BREED, D. D. 


YBORBSSOR IN THE WESTERN THROLOGICAL 
SEMINARY 





CHICAGO NEW YORK TORONTO 


*LEMING H. REVELL COMPANY 


LONDON EDINBURGH 


COPYRIGHT, 1903, 
BY FLEMING H.. 


REVELL COMPANY 





CHICAGO: 63 WASHINGTON STREET 
NEW YORK: 158 FIFTH AVENUE 
TORONTO: 27 RICHMOND STREET, W. 
LONDON: 2I PATERNOSTER SQUARE 
EDINBURGH: 30 ST. MARY STREET 


PREFACE 


This book is the outgrowth of my own needs, as a 
teacher of practical theology. I desired a text-book 
from which my students might obtain a comprehensive 
knowledge of the history and use of sacred song, with- 
out being burdened with those technical details which 
a beginner has neither the time to master nor the 
ability to understand. I also desired a book in which 
the study of hymns and of tunes was combined. 

No such book was at hand, and for several years I 
was compelled to refer my classes to various authors, 
some in hymnology, others in church music; supple- 
menting their studies with explanatory lectures. This, 
however, became more and more unsatisfactory, and 
I therefore determined to supply my own needs. In 
so doing I hoped to supply also the needs of others 
and to furnish many besides theological students with 
an acceptable and useful guide to a large and increas- 
ingly interesting subject. 

I have therefore included extended notice only of 
authors and composers of the first rank, or whose 
work bears some vital relation to the development of 
the hymn or of the hymn-tune. The volume is in- 
tended to be first of all a text-book, though I hope it 
may serve other useful purposes and be greatly 
blessed of Him whose praises we sing to those who 
would sing them ‘‘in a nobler, sweeter song.’’ 


iV; 


209015 


vi Preface 


My special thanks are due to the Rev. Louis F. 
Benson, D.D., and Professor Edward Dickinson for 
the use of copy-righted material. I am also under 
great obligations to my colleague, Professor Charles 
N. Boyd, instructor in church music in the Western 
Theological Seminary, for his kind revision of Part II. 
on hymn-tunes. 

DAVID R. BREED. 


CONTENTS 


PART I: HYMNS 


PAGE 
I. ANCIENT HyMNS - - - - - Il 


Antiquity of Sacred Song. Hebrew Hymns. Early 
Christian Hymns. 
II. GREEK AND LaTIN Hymns - : ane ae Bs 


Influence of Early Heresies. Greek Hymns. Latin 
Hymns. Greek and Latin Hymns Compared. The 
Two Bernards. 


III. GERMAN Hymns - - - - Shek Yi 
Ante-Reformation Hymns. Luther and His Co-la- 
borers. Later Authors. 

IV. PsaLMODY-~ - - - - - BAA: 
Marot. The Genevan Psalter. English Psalmody. 
Scotch Psalmody. American Psalmody. Comparison. 


V. ENGLISH HyMNOLOGY; PERIODS” - 70 


First Period: Doctrinal and Didactic. Second Pe- 
riod: Missionary and Evangelistic. Third Period: 
Devotional and Experimental. 


VI. Tue Best Hymns - - - - - 82 
Usage. Lists of King and Benson. Indispensable 
Qualities. 

VII. Hymns or First Periop. I eu eg 94 


Bishop Ken. Joseph Addison. Isaac Watts. 


VIII. Hymns or First Periop. II - - 108 


Phillip Doddridge. Charles Wesley. Anna Steele. 
William Williams. John Cennick. 


vii 


Vill Contents 


IX. Hymns or First Periop. III . Be Dede 
John Newton. William Cowper. Edward Perronet. 
Augustus M. Toplady. 

X. Hymns or SEconpD PERIop. I . - 148 
The Contrast in Hymnody. Benjamin Beddome. 
James Montgomery. Harriet Auber. Mrs. Vokes. 
John Marriott. 

XI. Hymns or Seconp Periop. II - ~ i EOF 
Reginald Heber. Thomas Hastings. Phoebe Brown. 
Sir Robert Grant. Henry Kirk White. 

XII. Hymns or Seconp Periop. III - - 187 


Charlotte Elliott. John Keble. Henry F. Lyte. Wil- 
liam Cullen Bryant. George Washington Doane. 
John Henry Newman. 


XIII. Hymns or Seconp Periop. IV_ - - 209 


Sarah Flower Adams. Elizabeth P. Prentiss. Ray 
Palmer. Samuel F. Smith. Horatius Bonar. Henry 
- Alford. 


XIV. Hymns oF THIRD PERIOD - - - 230 


Jane Borthwick. Sarah Findlater. Catherine Wink- 
worth. Frederick W. Faber. Edward Caswall. John 
M. Neale. Anna L. Waring. Cecil F. Alexander. 
Frances R. Havergal. William Walsham How. 


PART II: TUNES 


_ XV. History or Hymn-Tunes. PeriopD I - 255 
The Homophonic Era. Greek Scales. Ambrose. 
Gregory the Great. Hucbald. 

XVI. History or Hymn-Tunes. Periop II - 268 


The Development of Polyphony. Guido Arentino. 
Counterpoint. Franco. Palestrina. 





Contents 1X 


XVII. THe APPEARING OF THE Hymn-TuNE. 
Periop III - - - . - 287 


German Chorals. French Tunes. Anglican Music. 
Thomas Tallis. 


XVIII. THE PERFECTING OF THE HYMN-TUNE - 301 


The Old Psalm-Tunes. The New Hymn-Tunes. 
Lowell Mason. The Perfected Hymn-Tune. John 
B. Dykes. 


XIX. THE Best Tuners - - . ile OL 
Usage. Rules. 


XX. GOSPEL SONGS AND SINGERS . IS KE 


Characteristics. Defects and Excellences. 


XXI. THE CO-ORDINATION OF PUBLIC PRAISE- 343 


Proper Precedence. Place in Public Worship. Rela- 
tion to Preaching. The Real Function of Music. 








PART I.—HYMNS 





CHAPTER I 
ANCIENT HYMNS 


Sacred song seems to be the instinctive utterance 
of the human soul. Poetry and music are as old as 
the race, and they have been employed from the first 
in the service of religion. The sacred song of savage 
nations receives but rude expression. With the 
growth of intelligence and of language it becomes 
more elaborate and refined. Hymns in praise of the 
gods are therefore found among the most ancient 
specimens of literature. 

It is saia that the reputation of Homer was cre- 
ated by the number and beauty of his hymns, and 
many of them still remain in his poems. 

The Greeks who followed him imitated his example. 
The Greek poets were hymn-writers. The Muses 
themselves were supposed to be chiefly engaged in 
the service of divine praise, and he who invoked them 
was expected to partake of the same occupation. At 
certain of the Greek games rewards were offered for 
the best hymns, and the young were stimulated to 
memorize them. So important was this considered 
to the maintenance of religion that we find the Em- 
peror Julian, in his attempt to re-establish heathenism, 
urging the return to this custom, and arguing that the 
old Greek’s hymns were the product of inspiration, 
similar to that which the Christians claimed for the 
Psalms of David. 


It 


12 The History and Use of Hymns 


It is quite clear from all this that while the Greek 
mythology contributed nothing to the Christian reli- 
gion, the poetical development of Greek song had 
much to do with the form into which the early Greek 
hymns of the Christian church were subsequently cast. 

But the Greeks were not alone in their devotion to 
sacred song. It prevailed among all the cultivated 
nations of antiquity. The singing of hymns was the 
largest part of the old Egyptian ritual. Four times 
a day—at sunrise, noon, sunset, and night—the 
priests regularly chanted the praises of their divini- 
ties, and it is not unlikely that the poetical genius of 
Moses himself was so cultivated, in the providence of 
God, that it might be consecrated to the worship 
of the One True God. 


HEBREW HYMNS 


Among the Hebrews the record of the use of 
sacred song begins with the beginning of their na- 
tional life, though there is evidence that it had been 
long employed by their ancestors. The fugitives from 
Egyptian bondage had scarcely crossed the Red Sea 
when Moses and Miriam provided for the SAE 
of their praise. (Exodus xv.) 

‘‘T will sing unto the LoRD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; 

‘The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 
“‘The LorD is my strength and song, 

‘‘And he is become my salvation: 

‘This is my God, and I will praise him; 

‘My father’s God, and I will exalt him. 


‘“‘The LORD is a man of war; 
‘“‘The LoRD is his name,’’ etc., etc. 





Ancient Hymns. 13 


It is evident that this is not the work of a novice; 
neither is it the expression of those to whom sacred 
song is an unpracticed art; for, making all proper 
allowance for the influence of inspiration, 1ts human 
elements are indicative of thorough culture in this 
particular department of literature. 

It was probably sung antiphonally; Moses and the 
men upon the one side, answered by Miriam and the 
women on the other side. It is thus the oldest speci- 
men of choral song in all literature, and it is one of 
the finest. Scholars have united to give it most un- 
qualified praise. It served also to some extent as a 
model for succeeding generations. Its various ex- 
pressions are repeated in subsequent Scripture, and it 
fixed not only the Jewish form of divine praise, but 
also formulated the Jewish conception of their divine 
Deliverer as ‘‘A Man of War.’’ 

From this time Hebrew song is distinguished from 
that of all other nations, in that it was employed 
almost exclusively in the worship of Jehovah. The 
poetry of other nations covers a wide range of sub- 
jects; but not so the poetry of Israel. It seems to 
have been regarded as almost sacred in itself, and 
therefore it might not be prostituted to unworthy 
uses. For this reason, because its aim was so high, 
and guided by divine inspiration, the poetry of the 
Hebrews attained a rank incomparably beyond that 
of any other people; and this in spite of what might 
seem defects to the ordinary student of classic poetry. 
It has a form of its own—a form made manifest to 
the average reader of the Bible in its recent revisions. 


14 The History and Use of Hymns 


It is not metrical; it cannot be ‘‘scanned’’; yet it is 
poetical to the last degree, and by its peculiar structure 
admirably lends itself, as we find to-day, to lyrical 
purposes. Indeed, when it is cast into meter it not 
only loses its distinctive literary quality, but is also 
shackled to a musical style to which it is not adapted 
and which impairs its quality. 

In the progress of Hebrew history song was added 
to song until a rich and varied repertoire was gathered, 
which succeeding generations have found inexhaust- 
ible. In the reign of David, and stimulated by his 
own example, a new impetus was given to the com- 
position and rendering of sacred song. The worship 
of the tabernacle was greatly enriched. The service 
of song was distinctly organized on a hitherto unparal- 
leled scale. A great choir of some four thousand 
musicians and vocalists was gathered and trained; 
great religious musical festivals were organized, and 
systematic praise became a permanent feature of 
Hebrew worship. These musicians were recruited 
from the Levites. Asaph was the instrumental 
leader; Chenaniah the vocal leader. There were 
three grand divisions: the Kothathites under Heman, 
the Gershonites under Asaph, and the Merarites 
under Ethan. (See 1 Chronicles xv. and xvi.) These 
men were also composers as well as performers, and 
a number of psalms are attributed to them as authors. 

The provisions of David were extended under 
Solomon to the services of the Temple, and its choral 
music was probably the most magnificent which has 
ever been employed in the worship of God. 


Ancient Hymns 15 


From this time sacred music was regularly taught 
in the Jewish schools and the people generally became 
proficients. By and by when they were transported 
to distant Babylon the reputation of their melodies 
excited the interest of their captors, who urged them 
to sing for them the songs of Zion. But the request 
was declined. Their inhospitable surroundings, their 
alien audiences, and their own pitiable condition con- 
spired to hush the minstrelsy of Israel, and for a long 
generation their harps were left unstrung and their 
songs unsung. But upon the return from captivity 
both the composition and the practice of sacred song 
were resumed. It was continued in all the syna- 
gogues of the Dispersion and the old words to the old 
tunes resounded from the River Euphrates to the 
Pillars of Hercules. 

In the time of Christ the ritual of the Temple was 
elaborated to a degree exceeded only in the days of 
Solomon. <A large choir of Levites, assisted by 
some, selected for their special accomplishments, from 
those who had intermarried with Leviticai families, 
led the praise of the worshipers. This choir was 
composed in the main of men and boys, but female 
singers were occasionally introduced. The psalms to 
be sung upon the several occasions were distinctly 
specified, one for each day of the week as follows: 
for the first day, Psalm xxiv.; for the second, Ps. 
xlviili.; for the third, Ps. Ixxxii.; for the fourth, Ps. 
xciv.; for the fifth, Ps. lxxxi.; for the sixth, Ps. xciii.; 
for the seventh, Ps. xcii.; and others were indicated 
for festivals and similar special times. It all culmi- 


16 The History and Use of Hymns 


nated on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 
that ‘‘Great Day of the Feast,’’ the day of the ‘‘Great 
Hosannah,’’ the choir leading the multitudes in chant- 
ing Psalm Ixxxi., while at intervals the priests blew 
their trumpets and the people bowed in solemn worship. 

Such were the songs in which Jesus was trained; 
such the songs in which he joined with his disciples. 
The ‘‘hymn’’ which they sung at the conclusion of 
the Paschal Supper was probably the second portion 
of the fMallel (Ps. cxv. to cxvil.), or Ps.ccxxxviny 
which stands near the conclusion of the more modern 
ritual. 


EARLY CHRISTIAN HYMNS 


After the ascension of the Redeemer the members 
of the infant church continued for some time to use 
the songs of Jewish origin. But very soon they be- 
came possessed also of songs of their own, distinctively 
Christian. Some of these were the direct product of 
inspiration; others, if not inspired, were invested with 
peculiar sacredness. 

There are eight of these most ancient Christian 
hymns, as follows: 

1. The Gloria in Excelsis; called ‘‘ The Greater 
Doxology’’ to distinguish it from the one which fol- 
lows. It was also called the ‘‘Angelic Hymn’’ be- 
cause its opening words are taken from the Angel’s 
song at Bethlehem. Its authorship is not known, but 
it may be traced back to the early years of the second 
century. Its English form is: 


Ancient Hymns 17 


“Glory be to God on high and on earth peace, good will 
toward men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, 
we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O 
Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty. O Lord 
the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, 
Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have 
mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, 
receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God , 
the Father, have mercy upon us. For thou only art holy; Thou 
only art the Lord; Thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art 
most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.’’ 


2. The Gloria Patri; called the ‘‘ Lesser Doxol- 
ogy.’’ The first portion of this song, ‘‘Glory be to 
the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost,’’ 
was from the earliest times the common doxology of 
Christendom. Its closing portion was added by the 
Western Church after the rise of the Arian contro- 
versy: ‘‘As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever__ 
shall be world without end. Amen.”’ 

3. The ‘‘Zer Sanctus.’’ This is based on the 
‘*thrice holy’’ of Isaiah vi. 3 and Rev. iv. 8. It was 
introduced by various prefaces, as in the Episcopal 
Prayer-book, but always concluding ‘‘Therefore, with 
angels and archangels, and with all the company of 
heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name, ever- 
more praising thee and saying, Holy, Holy, Holy 
Lord God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of thy 
glory; Glory be to thee, O Lord, Most High. 
Amen.’’ It was therefore called the Cherubical Hymn. 

4. The Hallelujah. This was the response of 
the people to the call to praise. For many centuries 
it was used in its Hebrew form. in the liturgy of 


18 The History and Use of Hymns 


the Episcopal Church it now appears as ‘‘Praise ye 
the Lord,’’ by the officiating priest; with the response 
of the worshipers ‘‘The Lord’s name be praised.’’ 

5. The Benedicite. This “‘Song of the Three 
Hebrew Children,’’ taken from the Apocrapha, is a 
paraphrase of the forty-eighth Psalm. It may be 
found in the Episcopal Prayer-book, where it is used 
interchangeably with the Ze Deum. 

6. The Vunc Dimittis. Socalled from the Latin 
Vulgate’s rendering of the aged Simeon’s words 
(Luke ii. 29), and because it was generally sung in 
the evening worship, the Evening Hymn. 

7. che Magnificat.- The song of the Virgin 
Mary, so named from the Vulgate of the opening 
words. (Luke i. 46.) 

8. The Ze Deum, or Te Deum Laudantus, 
so called from its opening words. The authorship of 
this celebrated hymn is unknown. It is certainly of 
very ancient origin. The Latin version is doubtless 
based on a very early Greek original. The English 
version is familiar to all worshiping Christians, as its 
use obtains in all denominations throughout the world. 
The opening lines of the Latin version are ‘sub- 
joined. 

‘Te Deum laudamus, te Dominum confitemur. 

“‘Te azternum patrem omnis terra veneratur. 

‘‘Tibi omnes angeli, tibi cceli et universe potestates. 


**Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim inaccessibili voce proclamant. 
*‘Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.’’ 


To these may also be added another hymn from the 
Gospel by Luke, thus including all the advent songs 
recorded in his book. This is the Benedictus, the 


Ancient Hymns 19g 


song of the aged priest Zacharias on the birth of his 
son John. (Luke i. 68.) 

Such doubtless was the character, and such per- 
haps were the very words of the hymns to which 
Pliny refers in his letter to the Emperor Trajan, about 
110 A.D., in which he testifies that the Christians 
offered praise to Christ as God. His letter at least 
indicates that at the opening of the second century 
the Christian Church was using in its worship hymns 
other than those of Jewish origin. 

As time passed on the number of these Christian 
hymns multiplied. We learn from Eusebius that in 
the first half of the third century there was a profu- 
sion of sacred song, very little of which now remains. 
The only entire hymn belonging to this period, which 
has come down to us, is that attributed to Clemens of 
Alexandria, about 220 A.D., though he himself 
attributes it to an earlier author. 

Titus Flavius Clemens was a convert from pagan- 
ism. Ordained a presbyter he became the successor 
of Pantznus in the catechetical school of Alexandria. 
Origen was one of his pupils. The English transla- 
tion of his hymn below is by the Rev. Henry Martyn 
Dexter, D.D., editor of The Congregattonalist, 
Boston. 


‘‘Shepherd of tender youth, 
Guiding in love and truth 
Through devious ways; 
Christ our triumphant King, 
We come thy name to sing; 
Hither our children bring 
To shout thy praise. 


20 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘*Thou art our holy Lord, 
The all-subduing Word, 
Healer of strife: 
Thou didst thyself abase, 
That from sin’s deep disgrace 
Thou mightest save our race, 
And give us life. 


‘*Thou art the great High Priest; 
Thou hast prepared the feast 
Of heavenly love; 
While in our mortal pain 
None calls on thee in vain; 
Help thou dost not disdain, « 
Help from above. 


“Ever be thou our guide, 
Our shepherd and our pride, 
Our staff and song: 
Jesus, thou Christ of God, 
By thy perennial word 
Lead us where thou hast trod, 
Make our faith strong. 


“So now, and till we die, 
Sound we thy praises high, 
And joyful sing: 
Infants, and the glad throng 
Who to thy Church belong, 
Unite to swell the song 
To Christ our King.”’ 


CHAPTER II 
GREEK AND LATIN HYMNS 


The first systematic attempts in Christian hym- 
nody were the outgrowth of orthodox opposition to 
heresy. The oldest distinctive hymn-writers were 
Gnostics, and following them the Arians, who sought 
to propagate their errors, as Luther long after sought 
to propagate the truths of his reform, through sacred 
song. 

This began in the second century, when Bardesanes, 
of the Syrian Church, wrote hymns in imitation of the 
psalms, but with Gnostic additions. He was fol- 
lowed by Valentinus of Alexandria and by others, 
until the songs of the heretics had received wide 
circulation. 

So far as we can find, however, no concerted 
attempt was made to counteract this influence until 
the early years of the fourth century. When, under 
Constantine, Christianity became the religion of the 
state, the songs employed in public worship assumed 
new and greater importance as a part of the liturgy 
of the church; then it was that the leaders of the 
orthodox party adopted distinct measures for the in- 
troduction of a suitable body of Christian hymns. 
The hymns of Arius and of the Gnostics were not 
only the more numerous, but also the more popular, 
inasmuch as they inculcated practical graces and duties, 

21 


22 The History and Use of Hymns 


while the orthodox hymns were few in number and 
consisted chiefly of dogmatic formulas. But a new 
era in hymnology was now at hand, in which the great 
Greek hymns, in large variety, were to be given to 
the church. 

The herald of this important movement however 
was not a Greek, but a Syrian. He is known in his- 
tory as Ephrem (or Ephraim) Syrus. He was 
born at Nisibis in northern Mesopotamia, A.D. 307, 
and died at Edessa, 373. He was the most distin- 
guished father of the Syrian Church, and a voluminous 
writer on theological and kindred subjects. His zeal 
for the faith was doubtless heightened by his atten- 
dance upon the Council of Nicea, A.D. 325, when 
he was only eighteen years old, and thence until his 
death he was the champion of orthodoxy. His hymns 
were written in the same meters as those of the 
Gnostics, evidently to advance his purpose, and exer- 
cised a mighty influence. | 

The great hymnic era was thereby introduced and 
a large number of hymnographers followed him in 
both Syriac and Greek. So far, however, as known to 
the writer, there is no translation of any of his hymns 
in the collections now in use. 


GREEK HYMNS 


The next great name of this era, and the first of its 
Greek hymnographers, is Gregorius Nazianzenus (St. 
Gregory Nazianzen). He was born in the town 
whose name is affixed to his own, in Cappadocia, 
A.D. 325. His father was a bishop, and he himself 


Greek and Latin Hymns 23 


became one. He is reckoned as one of the greatest 
of the Greek fathers. His life was full of adventure. 
His education, began in Cappadocia, was continued in 
Alexandria and Athens, continuing for ten years in 
the latter place, where he was a fellow-student of 
Julian the Apostate. After serving as his father’s 
coadjutor he was made bishop of Constantinople 
(A.D. 379), where he spent two years. The closing 
years of his life were passed in retirement, during 
which most of his hymns were written. 

The following verses from the translation of one 
of Gregory’s finest hymns is from ‘‘Songs and Hymns 
of Earliest Greek Christian Poets,’’ by the Rev. 
Allen W. Chatfield of England. One may derive 
from it a good idea of his fine culture, his elevated 
style, and his devout orthodoxy. 

“© thou the One supreme o’er all! 
For by what other name 


May we upon thy greatness call 
Or celebrate thy fame? 


‘*How, unapproached, shall mind of man 
Descry thy dazzling throne? 
And pierce and find thee out, and scan 
Where thou dost dwell alone. 


‘Unuttered thou! all uttered things 
Have had their birth from thee; 
The one unknown, from thee the springs 
Of all we know and see. 


**And lo! all things abide in thee, 
And through the complex whole 
Thou spread’st thine own divinity, 
Thyself of all the goal.”’ 


24 The History and Use of Hymns 


The formative period in Greek Church poetry 
continued, after Gregory, until about 650 A.D. It 
was at its height for the two following centuries, until 
the year 850. Then followed the period of decline 
and decay, ending with the fall of Constantinople, in 
1453. The hymns of the various .poets who flour- 
ished during these periods are best known to the 
worshipers of the present day in the translations of 
the Rev. John Mason Neale, D.D., whose important 
services will be noted hereafter. Those below may 
be taken as illustrations, in chronological order. They 
may be found at length in many hymn-books. 


1. Anatolius. A hymn-writer of the seventh or eighth century, 
of whom very little is known apart from his hymns. He is not to 
be confounded with St. Anatolius, bishop of Constantinople, who 
died 458. 

‘‘Fierce was the billow, dark was the night,’’ and 
‘The day is past and over.’’ 


2. St. Andrew of Jerusalem, died 732. There is little of note 
attached to his name except his influence on Greek hymnody. 
‘‘Christian, dost thou see them?”’ 


3. St. Cosmas, the Melodist, died about 760. He early 
retired with his foster-brother, St. John of Damascus, to the 
monastery of St. Sabas in the Kedron Valley, from which issued 
much of the best literature of the ancient Greek Church. 

‘‘Christ is born, tell forth his fame.’’ 


4. St. John of Damascus, died about 780. He is esteemed 
the greatest of all the Greek hymn-vwriters. 
‘The day of resurrection.”’ 


5. St. Stephen, nephew of St. John, died 794. He was also 
an inmate of St. Sabas, where he was placed by his uncle when 
he was only ten years of age and where he lived for fifty years. 
Doubtless he would be voted to-day the most beloved of all the 
Greek hymn-writers, were they judged by their translations. 

‘Art thou weary, art thou languid?’* 


Greek and Latin Hymns 26 


6. St. Joseph, the hymnographer, about 840. His life was 
passed in Constantinople. He wrote more hymns than any other 
of his class. 

‘Let the church new anthems raise.’’ 


LATIN HYMNS 


It is an interesting fact that the production of 
Latin hymns was stimulated at the first by the same 
influences which developed the Greek hymnody. 
Hilary of Poitiers, banished to Phrygia by Constan- 
tius, was incited by the singing of the Arians, which 
he there heard, to write similar songs for the propaga- 
tion of the orthodox faith. The date of his birth, in 
the city whose name he bears, is not certainly known. 
He became its bishop about 350. His learning, zeal, 
and courage were all remarkable. He defended 
Athanasius in the council of Beziers, and even ven- 
tured to publicly rebuke Constantius himself, declar- 
ing him to be the antichrist. For this he was 
compelled to go into exile. Restored to liberty at 
the command of Julian, he traveled extensively 
throughout Europe in defense of Catholic truth. 
His enemies at last commanded sufficient influence 
to compel his final retirement to his own city, where 


he died 367. 


The poetical work of Hilary was adopted by 
Ambrose, bishop of Milan, who, because not only of 
his great work in hymnody, but also in church music, 
is called the father of Latin church song. He died 
in 397. 

After Ambrose comes Prudentius, who has been 
called ‘‘The first Christian poet.’’ He was born 


26 The History and Use of Hymns 


near Saragossa, in Spain, about 348. His conver- 
sion occurred late in life when he was fifty-seven 
years of. age. Up to that time he had been engaged 
in various secular pursuits, which he now abandoned 
for the service of the church. He died about 413. 
It will thus be seen that the earliest Latin hymn-writ- 
ers and the earliest Greek ones were contemporaries. 

From this time the number of Latin hymns con- 
tinued to increase and their quality to improve until 
the eleventh and twelfth centuries—the golden age of 
Latin hymnody. Thence there is decadence until the 
fourteenth century, and with the fifteenth the era of 
Latin hymnody is closed. 

The Latin hymns not only surpass the Greek in 
number, but also in quality. The special character- 
istic of the Greek hymn is its objectiveness. The 
Greek poet contemplated Revelation in itself, and 
found his delight therein. He seldom regarded him- 
self. His themes were the divine perfections, the 
divine out-goings, or the divine incarnation in Christ. 
With the Latin poet it was otherwise. He was more 
of a mystic. While not oblivious to the high 
themes which engaged the Greek mind, he added 
a tender subjectiveness and engaged himself with 
the personal appropriation of divine redemption. 
The varied experiences of the disciple of Jesus 
furnished him with subjects, and in consequence 
his work has continued to commend itself to the heart 
of Christendom. 

Greek hymnody has in it very little of value for 
the ordinary worshiper of the present day, and what 





Greek and Latin Hymns 27 


value it has grows less and less. But Latin hymnody 
has in it very much of value, and value that is ever 
on the increase. Let this be borne in mind as we 
proceed. 

Another distinctive feature of the Latin hymnody 
should also be remarked—its absolute departure from 
the form of the classic models of poetry, in the sub- 
stitution of accent for quantity and in the addition of 
rhyme. The change was not effected at once. The 
early hymn-writers clung to the classic meters, but as 
Archbishop Trench remarks, in his ‘‘Sacred Latin 
Poetry,’’ ‘‘a true instinct must have told the church 
at once, or after a very few trials, that these were 
not the forms which she required. A struggle, there- 
fore, commenced from the first, between the old 
heathen form and the new Christian spirit. The new 
wine went on fermenting in the old bottles till it burst 
them asunder; but not to be spilt and lost in the pro- 
cess, but to be gathered into nobler chalices.’’ The 
result was the varied form of the evangelical song, 
the form which it still retains, the graceful alliance of 
poetry and religion, the very climax of refined litera- 
ture. This we owe to the great hymn-writers of the 
Latin Church. 

The so-called Seven Great Hymns of the Latin 
Church are: (1) Laus Patrie Celestis, by Bernard of 
Cluny; (2) Vent Sancte Spiritus, by Hermannus Con- 
tractus, according to Duffield, though generally 
attributed to King Robert II. of France; (3) Venz 
Creator Spirttus, authorship very uncertain, probably 
Rabanus Maurus, bishop of Mainz, (4) Dzes Ire, by 


28 The History and Use of Hymns 


Thomas of Celano; (5) Stabat Mater; and (6) Mater 
Spectosa, by Jacobus de Benedictis; (7) Verzlla 
Regis, by Fortunatus. 

Some of these hymns are truly ‘‘catholic.’’ They 
are cherished and sung by all Christian denominations 
the world over. They will be further considered 
below. Others, such as the Stabat Mater and Mater 
Spectosa, are too decidedly Roman to receive any 
recognition by Protestants. 


THE Two BERNARDS 


We are particularly concerned, however, -with 
those Latin hymn-writers whose legacies have been 
treasured by the church at large, and whose words are 
sung to-day by all worshiping congregations in devout 
homage to God and sincere gratitude to their authors. 

Judged by this standard Bernard of Cluny holds 
beyond all question the highest place. Very little is 
known concerning him. He was born in Morlaix in 
Brittany of English parents. His monastic life was 
probably included between the years 1122 and 1156. 
He wrote but one poem—like so many other great 
hymn-writers. This is generally known by the title 
given above, Laus Patrie Celestis, but this was not 
his own title. It was affixed by Archbishop Trench 
to the selected one hundred lines with which the 
church is most familiar. The original poem contains 
nearly three thousand lines, and is entitled De Con- 
temptu Mundi. It is a lamentation over the wicked- 
ness of the world—a veritable jeremiad. Very | 
naturally, however, the author turns from his ‘‘con- 


Greek and Latin Hymns 29 


tempt of the world’’ to sing the ‘‘praise of the celestial 

fatherland,’’ and thus was produced that wonderful 
passage which has evoked the praises of Christendom 
for its author and voices the praises of Christendom 
to its God. 

The poem is written in a most peculiar meter, 
almost impossible to reproduce in English and make 
good sense. Translators have been obliged to take 
some liberties with it, altering somewhat its expres- 
sions, but preserving its spirit. Its opening lines are 

“Hora novissima, tempora pessima sunt, vigilemus! 
**Ecce minaciter, imminet arbiter, ille supremus.”? 
This has been carefully rendered, 


“‘These are the latter times, 
“‘These are not better times, 
“Let us stand waiting! 
“‘Lo, how with awfulness, 

‘He first in lawfulness 
“‘Comes arbitrating.”’ 


This is very faithful to the original, but it is wretched 
English poetry. So it is with the entire poem, when 
the translator attempts a literal version. 

That portion of the poem known as Laus Patrig 
Ca@lestis begins with the lines 


“Hic breve vivitur, hic breve plangitur, hic breve fletur; 
‘Non breve vivere, non breve plangere retribuetur; 

‘O retributio! stat brevis actio vita perennis; 

“O retributio! Ccelica mansio stat lue plenis; 

“Quid datur et quibus? A®ther egentibus et cruce dignis, 
“‘Sidera vermibus, optima sontibus, astra malignis.’’ 


There is marvelous beauty of diction and marvelous 
pathos in this for those who can read it with the 
understanding. The English rendering by Dr. 


30 The History and Use of Hymns 


Neale departs from its phraseology, but appeals with 
all the beauty and pathos of the original to our deep- 


est hearts. 


‘Brief life is here our portion; 

Brief sorrow, short-lived care; 

The life that knows no ending, 
The tearless life, is there: 

Oh, happy retribution! 
Short toil, eternal rest; 

For mortals, and for sinners, 
A mansion with the blest!’’ 


The hymn known as Jerusalem the Golden is taken 
from this same portion of the poem. In the Latin it 


begins: 
‘Urbs Syon aurea, patria lactea, cive decora, 
‘“‘Omne cor obruis, omnibus obstruis, et cor et ora. 
‘*Nescio, nescio qu jubilatio lux tibi qualis, 
‘Quam socialia gaudia, gloria quam specialis; 
‘‘Laude studens ea tollere, mens mea victa fatiscit; 
*‘O bona gloria, vincor; in omnia laus tua vicit.’’ 


Dr. Neale’s translation is as follows: 


“‘Jerusalem the golden, 

With milk and honey blest! 
Beneath thy contemplation 

Sink heart and voice oppressed: 
I know not, oh, I know not, 

What social joys are there, 
What radiancy of glory, 

What light beyond compare. 


‘They stand, those halls of Zion, 

All jubilant with song, 

And bright with many an angel, 
And all the martyr throng; 

The Prince is ever in them, 
The daylight is serene; 

The pastures of the blessed 
Are decked in glorious sheen. 


Greek and Latin Hymns 31 


‘‘There is the throne of David; 
And there, from care released, 
The song of them that triumph, 
The shout of them that feast; 
And they who, with their Leader, 
Have conquered in the fight 
For ever and for ever 
Are clad in robes of white.’’ 


As there is no question with regard to the first of al 
the Latin hymn-writers, judged by our standard, so 
also there is no question with regard to the second. 
And the second is not far behind the first, while 
together the two form a class of which they are the 
only members. 

The second place belongs to Bernard of Clairvaux. 
In marked contrast to Bernard of Cluny, the details 
of his life are fully known. He was born near Dijon 
in Burgundy, of a noble family, in 1091; became the 
first abbot of Clairvaux in 1115; died in 1153. He 
was the most notable figure of his times, and his 
words and works made a deep and lasting impression 
not only upon his own age, but upon all succeeding 
ages. He is best known by his founding of a reli- 
gious order, his discomfiture of Abelard, his preaching 
of the second Crusade. But these, important as they 
were, were but a small part of his great and varied 
labors. Archbishop Trench well says: ‘‘Probably no 
man during his lifetime ever exercised a fersonal influ- 
ence in Christendom equal to his; the stayer of popular 
commotions, the queller of heresies, the umpire be- 


. tween princes and kings, the counselor of popes.’’ 


No student of the church should fail to read his life in 
one of the many forms in which it has been presented. 


32 The History and Use of Hymns 


The hymn of Bernard which is dearest to the heart 
of the modern church is that entitled ‘‘De Nomine 
Jesu,’’ though more generally known by its first line. 
It originally consisted of fifty stanzas of four lines 
each, the first two stanzas being 

‘*Jesu, dulcis memoria 
Dans vera cordi gaudia 


Sed super mel et omnia 
Ejus dulcis przesentia. 


“Nil canitur suavius, 
Nil auditur jucundius, 
Nil cogitatur dulcius 
Quam Jesus Dei Filius.’’ 


Long before this hymn was rendered into English 
it was one of the favorite songs of devoted souls. 
The knights who kept guard over the holy sepulchre 
at Jerusalem sang it in their bivouacs. It has been 
translated again and again, and it will continue to 
invite the labor of the hymn-writers of the future. It 
is most acceptable to-day in the version of the Rev. 
Edward Caswall. 


“Jesus, the very thought of thee 
With sweetness fills my breast; 
But sweeter far thy face to see 
And in thy presence rest. 


‘*Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame, 
Nor can the memory find 
A sweeter sound than thy blest name, 
O Saviour of mankind! 


“‘O Hope of every contrite heart! 
O Joy of all the meek! 
To those who fall how kind thou art! 
How good to those who seek! 


Greek and Latin Hymns 33 


**But what to those who find? Ah! this, 
Nor tongue nor pen can show; 
The love of Jesus, what it is, 
None but his loved ones know. 


‘*Jesus, our only joy be thou, 
As thou our prize wilt be; 
Jesus, be thou our glory now, 
And through eternity.”’ 


Duffield says of this, ‘‘It is supremely fine in spirit 
and expression.’’ And Robinson says, ‘‘One might 
call this poem the finest in the world and be within 
the limits of all extravagance.”’ 
Another portion of the same hymn is given in 
Caswall’s translation, 
**O Jesus! King most wonderful.”’ 
Dr. Ray Palmer also has added to his own reputation 
and to that of Bernard in another translation, begin- 
ning 
‘‘Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts.’’ 
But our indebtedness to Bernard does not rest with 
this single poem. Scarcely inferior to it is his Sa/ve 
caput cruentatum, ‘This is the second part of a 
hymn entitled ‘‘Oratio Rhythmica ad Christum a 
Cruce Pendentem,’’ in seven portions, in which the 
author addresses various members of the body of the 
Saviour as he hangs upon the cross. 
The second portion is ‘‘Ad Faciem.’’ 


“Salve caput cruentatum, 
Totum spinis coronatum, 
Conquassatum, vulneratum 
Arundine verberatum 

Facie sputis illita.’’ 


The translation of this hymn comes to us through 


34 The History and Use of Hymns 


the German in a most interesting manner. First we 
have Paul Gerhardt’s ‘‘O Haupt voll Blut und 
Wunden,’’ then by the translation of the German 
hymn the beautiful English lines of the Rev. Dr. 
James W. Alexander: 


“‘O sacred Head, now wounded, 
With grief and shame weighed down, 
Now scornfully surrounded 
With thorns, thine only crown; 
O sacred Head, what glory, 
What bliss, till now was thine! 
Yet, though despised and gory, 
I joy to call thee mine. 


‘‘What thou, my Lord, hast suffered 

Was all for sinners’ gain; 

Mine, mine was the transgression, 
But thine the deadly pain; 

Lo, here I fall, my Saviour! 
*Tis I deserved thy place; 

Look on me with thy favor, 
Vouchsafe to me thy grace. 


‘‘What language shall I borrow, 
To thank thee, dearest Friend, 
For this, thy dying sorrow, 
Thy pity without end? 
Lord, make me thine forever, 
Nor let me faithless prove: 
Oh let me never, never, 
Abuse such dying love. 


‘*Be near when I am dying, 
Oh, show thy cross to me! 
And for my succor flying, 
Come, Lord, and set me free! 
These eyes, new faith receiving, 
From Jesus shall not move; 
For he who dies believing, 
Dies safely through thy love.’’ 


Greek and Latin Hymns si 


Has not the biographer of Bernard well said, ‘‘ They 
canonized him in 1174; but it is better to have writ- 
ten a song for all saints than to be found in any 
breviary.’’ 


THOMAS OF CELANO 


We have spoken in these notices of ‘‘our stan- 
dard,’’ that is, the usage of Protestant worship. But 
we ought not to close this account of the great Latin 
hymns without special reference to that splendid poem 
which has been praised beyond all of its class, the 
Dies Ire. Its author was Thomas of Celano, a 
Franciscan monk. Its opening verses are as follows: 


‘Dies ire, dies illa 
Solvet szeclum in favilla, 
Teste David cum Sibylla. 


‘‘Quantus tremor est futurus, 
Quando Judex est venturus, 
Cuncta stricte discussurus. 


“‘Tuba, mirum spargens sonum 
Per sepulchra regionum, 
Coget omnes ante thronum. 


‘*Mors stupebit et natura, 
Quum resurget creatura, 
Judicanti responsura. 


‘Liber scriptus proferetur, 
In quo totum continetur, 
De quo mundus judicetur.”’ 


Dr. Robinson, in his ‘‘Annotations,’’ says of this 
hymn, ‘‘It stands pre-eminent not only because of 
the grandeur of the theme, but also from the perfection 
of its form and rhythm,’’ and quotes from an English 
critic, ‘‘The meter so grandly devised, fitted to bring 


9) 


36 The History and Use of Hymns 


out the noblest powers of the Latin language, the 
solemn effect of the triple rhyme—like blow following 
blow of the hammer on the anvil—the majestic, una- 
dorned plainness of the style—these merits, with many 
more, have given the ‘Dies Ire’ a foremost place 
among the masterpieces of sacred song.’’ The trans- 
lation of this hymn has been attempted again and 
again; about one hundred and sixty times in English. 

The one below is Dean Stanley’s version of Part I. 


“Day of wrath, oh, dreadful day, 
When this world shall pass away, 
And the heavens together roll, 
Shriv’ling like a parchéd scroll, 
Long foretold by saint and sage, 
David’s harp, and Sibyl’s page. 


‘‘Day of terror, day of doom, 
When the Judge at last shall come; 
Through the deep and silent gloom, 
Shrouding every human tomb, 
Shall the Archangel’s trumpet tone 
Summon all before the throne. 


- “Then shall nature stand aghast, 
Death himself be overcast; 
Then, at her Creator’s call, 
Near and distant, great and small, 
Shall the whole creation rise 
Waiting for the great assize. 


‘Then the writing shall be read 

Which shall judge the quick and dead; 
Then the Lord of all our race 

Shall appoint to each his place; 

Every wrong shall be set right, 

Every secret brought to light.” 


Some other important Latin hymns will be discussed 
hereafter under the names of their English translators. 


CHAPTER III 
GERMAN HYMNS 


The German hymns outnumber those in any other 
language, the evangelical singers alone having pro- 
duced about eighty thousand. 

The Germans have always been a music-loving 
people. It is not that they simply enjoy listening to 
the singing of others, but they particularly enjoy sing- 
ing themselves. Germany is the very home of choral 
music to this day, and the large majority of musicians 
throughout Europe and North America are of German 
origin. 

We find therefore that from the earliest times the 
hymn was the natural expression of German religion. 
Many of the so-called Latin hymns, indeed, are Latin 
only in language; their authors were Germans. And 
when congregational singing was generally abandoned 
by the Roman Church, the people of Germany were 
still permitted a part in public praise—their musical 
instincts could not be wholly repressed. But the part 
was so small that the people determined that if they 
could not sing inside the churches they would at least 
sing outside of them. There were sacred poets who 
translated the old Latin hymns into the vernacular 
and added original ones and these were heartily sung 
at festivals, on pilgrimages, and similar occasions. 

These have not descended in any number to our 

37 


38 The History and Use of Hymns 


generation for several reasons. In the days of papal 
Germany they were discountenanced and subsequently 
Protestant Germany discarded them. Still there 
were some hymns, written by those among whom the 
Protestant spirit was already kindling, which contin- 
ued to exercise their influence, and were preserved in 
the Reformation. Chief among the hymn-writers of 
this period was Heinrich of Laufenburg, a monk of 
the monastery of the Knights of St. John at Strass- 
burg, which he entered in 1445. Most of his hymns, 
like the others of his day, were written in praise of 
the Virgin or other saints, but some were evangelical 
in form and spirit. They were generally accommo- 
dations of secular ballads, transformed by the substi- 
tution of religious terms. Here is a verse of one 
founded on a popular song, entitled ‘‘Innsbruck, I 
must forsake thee’’: 


“OC world, I must forsake thee, 
And far away betake me 
To seek my native shore; 
So long I’ve dwelt in sadness 
I wish not now for gladness 
Earth’s joys for me are o’er.”’ 


Heinrich’s sentiment was exceeding sweet and tender. 
It would be hard to find a lovelier cradle-song than 
his, beginning 
‘‘Ah, Jesu Christ, my Lord most dear, 
As thou wast once an infant here, 
So give this little child, I pray, 
Thy grace and blessings day by day. 


Ah Jesu, Lord divine, 
Guard me this babe of mine.’’ 


The followers of John Huss, Bohemians and Mora- 


German Hymns 39 


vians, gave special attention to popular praise. In 
1504 Lucas of Prague, the Bohemian bishop, col- 
lected four hundred of the best German hymns, 
printed and published them. This is worthy of par- 
ticular note, since this is the first example of a hymn- 
book provided for congregational use. 


LUTHER 


With the Reformation we come to a most impor- 
tant era in the development of hymnody, and chiefly 
through the indomitable faith, the untiring labor, and 
the prophetic foresight of the great Luther. He who 
gave to the people in their own tongue the Bible and 
the catechism, gave them also the hymn-book, as one 
has well said, ‘‘So that God might speak directly to 
them in his Word and that they might directly answer 
him in their songs.’’ 

The great reformer is also the greatest of German 
hymnists. He began to write hymns in 1523, and 
continued to do so for twenty years, yet with such a 
high regard for quality, rather than quantity, that he 
averaged only one a year. 

His first German hymn-book appeared in I 1524. 
It contained only eight hymns, four of them by 
Luther. He published in all about twenty-one origi- 
nals, about the same number of translations from the 
Latin, and a few modifications of earlier German 
hymns. The effect of this work in the spread of the 
Reformation is too well known to require mention. 
‘*The whole people,’’ they said, ‘‘is singing itself into 
this Lutheran doctrine.”’ 


40 The History and Use of Hymns 


Luther’s greatest hymn is his Ezn Feste Burg, 
so much so that it is generally known by pre-eminence 
as ‘‘Luther’s Hymn’’—as though it was his only one. 
He drew his inspiration for it from the 46th Psalm: 
‘*God is our refuge and strength, a very present help 
in trouble.’’ The date of its composition is uncertain. 
It was soon known, however, to the whole body of 
Protestants, and inspired them with such courage that 
Heine has well called it ‘‘The Marseillaise of the 
Reformation.’’ It has been translated into English 
a number of times. Three of these translations are 
found in our various hymn-books, one by Miss Wink- 
worth, one by Thomas Carlyle, one by Dr. Hedge. 
The last is gradually displacing the others, proving 
the most acceptable version. The translator, the 
Rev. Frederick Henry Hedge, D.D., was born 1805, 
in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated at Har- 
vard University, and was settled over a Unitarian 
church at Bangor, Maine. 

What gives to this hymn peculiar interest and 
power to-day is that it is always sung to the tune 
probably composed by Luther; both words and music 
are his own. 


*‘A mighty fortress is our God, 

A bulwark never failing; 

Our Helper he, amid the flood 
Of mortal ills prevailing. 

For still our ancient foe 

Doth seek to work his woe; 

His craft and power are great, 

And armed with cruel hate, 
On earth is not his equal. § 


ore eae 


German Hymns 41 


‘Did we in our own strength confide, 

Our striving would be losing; 

Were not the right man on our side, 
The man of God’s own choosing. 

Dost ask who that may be? 

Christ Jesus, it is he; 

Lord Sabaoth is his name, 

From age to age the same, 
And he must win the battle. 


‘‘And though this world, with devils filled, 

Should threaten to undo us; 

We will not fear, for God hath willed 
His truth to triumph through us. 

Let goods and kindred go, 

This mortal life also: 

The body they may kill: 

God’s truth abideth still, 
His kingdom is for ever.’’ 


A number of Luther’s hymns may be found in 
most collections. We need not quote them. Per- 
haps that which ranks next to ‘‘Ein Feste Burg’’ in 
popular estimation, is his Gelobet sezst Du, Jesus 
Christ. The English translation first appeared in 
the ‘‘Sabbath Hymn-book,’’ Andover, 1858. No 
name was attached to it, and its author has not since 
been discovered. Its diction is so free and flowing, 
and the English idiom is so carefully followed, espe- 
cially in the beautiful antithesis with which the hymn 
abounds, that one would not suspect a foreign origi- 
nal. Yet it is only the translation of a translation; 
for Luther himself obtained it by the free rendering 
of an old Latin hymn of the ninth century. 


‘fAll praise to thee, eternal Lord, 
Clothed in a garb of flesh and blood; 


42 The History and Use of Hymns 


Choosing a manger for thy throne, 
While worlds on worlds are thine alone! 


“Once did the skies before thee bow; 
A virgin’s arms contain thee now; 
Angels, who did in thee rejoice, 
Now listen for thine infant voice. 


‘fA little child, thou art our guest, 
That weary ones in thee may rest; 
Forlorn and lowly is thy birth, 
That we may rise to heaven from earth. 


‘‘Thou comest in the darksome night 
To make us children of the light; 
To make us, in the realms divine, 
Like thine own angels round thee shine. 


*‘All this for us thy love hath done: 
By this to thee our love is won; 
For this we tune our cheerful lays, 
And shout our thanks in ceaseless praise.’’ 


Co-LABORERS OF LUTHER 


In the publication of his hymn-books Luther en- 
listed the co-operation of a number of friends, and 
some of their productions became as popular as his 
own. Justus Jonas, his colleague at the University 
bf Wittenberg, gave special attention to the versifica- 
tion of the psalms, selecting for his purpose those 
which had a special application for the trying times 
in which he lived. Some of them remind us of 
Luther’s own hymn and show the influence of his 
example. Here is Jonas’s rendering of the opening 
verses of Psalm cxxiv., ‘‘If it had not been the 
Lord who was on our side,’’ etc. 


German Hymns 43 


“If God were not upon our side 
When foes around us rage, 
Were not himself our help and guide 
When bitter war they wage, 
Were he not Israel’s mighty shield 
To whom their utmost crafts must yield 
We surely must have perished.”’ 


Another co-laborer of Luther, also a professor at 
Wittenberg, was Paul Eber, whose hymnody is a 
delightful counterpart to the more rugged and martial 
melodies of his confréres. Eber’s music is tender, 
consoling. He brings to the persecuted Protestants 
not so much courage and stimulus as comfort and 
peace—lines like these: 


‘*Then this our comfort is alone 
That we may meet before thy throne 
And cry, O faithful God, to thee 
For refuge from our misery.”’ 

He wrote a number of songs for the dying, such 

as this: 
‘I fall asleep in Jesus’ arms, 
Sin washed away, hushed all alarms, 
For his dear blood, his righteousness, 
My jewels are, my glorious dress, 
Wherein before my God I stand 
When I shall reach the heavenly land.” 

These hymns were the support of the Protestants 
during the trials of the ‘‘Thirty Years’ War,’’ which 
began in 1618 and ended with the Peace of West- 
phalia, 1648. The most celebrated of all German 
hymns, after Luther’s, belongs to this distressing 
period. It is associated with the name of Gustavus 
Adolphus and is known as his ‘‘Battle Hymn,’’ and 


again as his ‘‘Swan Song,’’ because his army sang it 


44 The History and Use of Hymns 


on the eve of the battle of Liitzen, in which he con- 
quered, but was inortally wounded. It was the pro- 
duct, however, of the Rev. Johann Michael Altenburg, 
who composed it when he received the news of the 
preceding battle, in which Gustavus was signally 
victorious—the battle of Leipzig, September 17, 1631. 
The original is known as ‘‘Verzage nicht, du Hauflein 
Klein’’; the translation is by Miss Winkworth: 


‘‘Fear not, O little flock, the foe 
Who madly seeks your overthrow; 
Dread not his rage and power; 
What though your courage sometimes faints, 
His seeming triumph o’er God’s saints 
Lasts but a little hour. 


“Be of good cheer; your cause belongs 
To him who can avenge your wrongs; 
Leave it to him, our Lord! 
Though hidden yet from mortal eyes, 
He sees the Gideon that shall rise 
To save us and his word. 


*fAs true as God’s own word is true, 
Not earth nor hell with all their crew 
Against us shall prevail; 
A jest and by-word are they grown; 
God is with us, we are his own, 
Our victory cannot fail. 


‘‘Amen, Lord Jesus, grant our prayer! 
Great Captain, now thine arm make bare, 
Fight for us once again! 
So shall thy saints and martyrs raise 
A mighty chorus to thy praise, 
World without end: Amen!’’ 


The same period is very rich in similar compo- 
sitions. Among the more notable are the following: 


German Hymns 45 


Martin Rinkart, author of ‘‘Nun danket alle Gott,’’ 
about 1644. This has been called the ‘‘Te Deum”’ 
of Germany. Rinkart was both preacher and soldier, 
and performed such conspicuous deeds of valor as to 
be called ‘‘Savior of his Country.’’ The translation 
is by Miss Winkworth. The tune to which it is 
generally sung is by Johann Criiger, one of the best 
composers of German choral music, as we shall note 
hereafter. 


‘‘Now thank we all our God, 
With heart, and hands, and voices, 
Who wondrous things hath done, 
In whom the world rejoices; 
Who from our mother’s arms 
Hath blessed us on our way 
With countless gifts of love, 
And still is ours to-day. 


“‘Oh, may this bounteous God 
Through all our life be near us, 
With ever joyful hearts 
And blesséd peace to cheer us; 
To keep us in his grace, 
And guide us when perplexed, 
And free us from all ills 
In this world and the next. 


PAUL GERHARDT 


Paul Gerhardt, next to Luther, is the greatest of all 
German hymn-writers (1606-1676). We have already 
mentioned his name in connection with the translation 
of one of the hymns of Bernard of Clairvaux. Ger- 
hardt was born near Wittenberg, and was educated 
in its university. Ordained to the ministry, he 
preached for a time in Berlin. But his life was a 


46 The History and Use of Hymns 


troubled one. In his early years, amidst the horrors 
of the Thirty Years’ War, he was cast about from 
place to place. He was not settled permanently any- 
where until he was forty-four years of age, nor 
married until he was forty-eight. He endured great 
affliction in the long illness and death of his wife and 
in the loss of four out of five of his children. Finally 
he was dispossessed of his position, and retired to a 
humble parish at Liibben, where he labored for seven 
years among a rude, unsympathetic people, and 
where he died. The words attached to his portrait 
at Liibben are an apt commentary on his career: 
‘‘Theologus in cribo Satanz versatus,’’ a reference 
to Luke xxii. 31, ‘‘Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath 
desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat.’’ 
But it has ever been out of just such experiences 
as he endured that the Saviour brings most valuable 
instruction and tender consolation for souls ignorant 
or distressed. The German hymn received at Ger- 
hardt’s hands a refinement which had hitherto been 
lacking. His poems are truly ‘‘songs of the heart.’’ 
He imports into the objective realities, with which 
the Reformation had been so vitally concerned, that 
subjective tone which marks the transition to the 
modern style of hymnody. The frequent use of the 
personal pronoun ‘‘I’’ is the exponent of his work, 
and thereby the individual soul is brought face to face 
with its God. A large number of his hymns. have 
been translated into English, and are now in -use. 
One of the most beautiful is /st Gott fir ae so 
trete, translated by Miss Winkworth: | 


German Hymns 47 


“*Since Jesus is my friend, 
And I to him belong, 
It matters not what foes intend, 
However fierce and strong. 


‘‘He whispers in my breast 
Sweet words of holy cheer, 
How they who seek in God their rest 
Shall ever find him near; 


‘“How God hath built above 
A city fair and new, 
Where eye and heart shall see and prove 
What faith has counted true. 


‘‘My heart for gladness springs; 
It cannot more be sad; 
For very joy it smiles and sings— 
Sees naught but sunshine glad. 


“‘The sun that lights mine eyes 
Is Christ, the Lord I love; 
I sing for joy of that which lies 
Stored up for me above.”’ 
Others well known to all worshipers are those begin- 
ning 
‘*Give to the winds thy fears,”’ 
and 
‘“All my heart this night rejoices.’’ 


And so the great work in German hymnody con- 
tinued. It was the resultant of a mighty outpouring 
of divine grace, by reason of which it swelled into 
immense volume and rose to transcendent height. 
Hymn-books and hymn-writers multiplied and the 
continent was flooded with sacred melody. The 
quality indeed, as well as the quantity, had its ebb 
and flow. There were fluctuations in literary merit 


48 The History and Use of Hymns 


and doctrinal fidelity. But upon the whole the move- 
ment was fraught with unspeakable blessing. 


COUNT VON ZINZENDORF 


We shall mention, however, but two other German 
hymn-writers. Not that the rest are unworthy of 
notice, but that their hymns are not so generally used 
by English-speaking worshipers. Nicholaus Ludwig, 
Count von Zinzendorf was born at Dresden, May 26, 
1700. Hewas educated at the University of Witten- 
berg; was licensed to preach in 1734; was conse- 
crated bishop of the Moravian Brethren’s Unity at 
Berlin, May 10, 1737; died at Herrnhut, May 9, 
1760. Hewas a man of great gifts and profound 
influence. He did so much for the community over 
which he presided that he is called its ‘‘Second 
Founder.’’ During a period of banishment from 
Saxony he spent several years in America, principally 
in Pennsylvania, where the fruit of his work still 
abides. He wrote more than two thousand hymns, 
most of which were fugitive. He is criticised as 
“caring more for quantity than for quality’’; but 
quality certainly is not lacking in some of his poems. 
They reflect the deep devotion of their author, whose 
motto was ‘‘I have but one passion, and that is He, 
only He.’’ It is not easy to say which is his best 
hymn. The one that is most sung perhaps is ‘‘Jesu 
geh, voran.’’ Two translations of this hymn, very 
similar in language and structure, are in use, one by 
the Rev. Arthur T. Russell, and the other by Miss 
Jane Borthwick. The latter reads: 


German Hymns 49 


‘Jesus, still lead on, 
Till our rest be won; 
And although the way be cheerless; 
We will follow, calm and fearless; 
Guide us by thy hand 
To our Fatherland. 


“If the way be drear, 
If the foe be near, 

Let not faithless féars o’ertake us, 
Let not faith and hope forsake us; 
For, through many a foe, 

To our home we go. 


‘‘When we seek relief 
From a long-felt grief, 
When temptations come, alluring, 
Make us patient and enduring; 
Show us that bright shore 
Where we weep no more. 


‘*Jesus, still lead on, 
Till our rest be won; 
Heavenly Leader, still direct us, 
Still support, console, protect us, 
Till we safely stand 
In our Fatherland. . 
Other hymns by Count Zinzendorf in common use are: 
‘Glory to God whose witness train,”’ 
translation by John Wesley; and 
‘Jesus thy blood and righteousness,”’ 


also translated by Wesley. 


CARL JOHANN SPITTA 


Rev. Carl Johann Spitta, D.D., is considered the 
greatest German hymn-writer of the nineteenth cen- 
tury. He was born at Hanover, August I, 1801. 


50 The History and Use of Hymns 


His father died when he was only four years of age, 
and his mother, discouraged by the feebleness of his 
constitution, abandoned the idea of training him for a 
profession and apprenticed him to a watch-maker. 
But it was soon discovered that he was not fitted for 
such work, and he was permitted to prepare for the 
ministry. He was educated at’ the University of 
G6ttingen, ordained December 10, 1828, and set- 
tled as pastor at various places. He died September 
28, 1859. 

The poetic instinct manifested itself in Spitta in 
early childhood. He composed verses when he was 
only eight years old. After his conversion he wrote 
to a friend, ‘‘In the manner in which I formerly sang, 
I sing nomore. To the Lord I consecrate my life 
and my love and likewise my song. He gave to me 
song and melody. I give it back to him.”’ 

Many of Spitta’s songs have been rendered into 
English. The most familiar is ‘‘O Jesu meine 
Sonne,’’ translated by Richard Massie: 

“‘T know no life divided, 
O Lord of life, from thee: 
In thee is life provided 
For all mankind and me; 
I know no death, O Jesus, 
Because I live in thee; 


Thy death it is that frees us 
From death eternally. 


*‘T fear no tribulation, 
Since, whatsoe’er it be 
It makes no separation 
Between my Lord and me. 


German Hymns 51 


If thou, my God and Teacher, 
Vouchsafe to be my own, 

Though poor, I shall be riche1 
Than monarch on his throne. 


“Tf, while on earth I wander, 
My heart is right and blest, 
Ah, what shall I be yonder, 
In perfect peace and rest? 
Oh, blesséd thought! in dying 
We go to meet the Lord, 
Where there shall be no sighing, 
A kingdom our reward. 


The name of Rev. Benjamin Schmolck should be added to 
those above. His fine hymn, “‘Jein Jesu wie du witllst,’’ is 
quoted on page 531, in connection with the name of its translator. 
Benjamin Schmolck was born in Silesia, December 21, 1672; was 
graduated from the University of Leipsig, 1697; returned to 
Silesia, where he spent his life. He died February 12, 1737. 
Many of his hymns are in use. The most acceptable one after 
that noted begins, ‘‘Light of Light enlighten me.’’ 


CHAPTER IV 
PSALMODY 


The term ‘‘psalmody’’ is applied to that body of 
sacred song which is composed of metrical versions of 
the psalms, wherein they are adapted to modern 
methods of singing. It generally includes, also, simi- 
lar paraphrases of other portions of Scripture. 

The subject is an immensely large one of itself, and 
its literature most extensive. Julian, in his Dzction- 
ary of Hymnology, gives a list of three hundred and 
twenty-six separate publications, of substantially the 
entire Psalter, in English alone; besides about one 
hundred and twenty minor versifications. To these 
must be added, before exhausting the catalogue, similar 
attempts in other languages and also the vast number 
of songs ranking simply as ‘‘hymns,”’ but virtually 
belonging to psalmody. We are compelled by our 
limits to treat only of the most important versions, as 
they are known to-day, specially those in the English 
language. 


CLEMENT MAROT 


Psalmody, in its modern sense, began with Clement 
Marot of France, court-poet to King Francis I. The 
time and circumstances should be carefully noted. 
Francis reigned from 1515 to 1547. These years 
cover the most momentous events in modern history, 


52 


Psalmody 53 


the Reformation, the rise of Spanish ascendency under 
Charles V., and all else that was associated there- 
with. Marot was writing his psalms while Francis 
and Charles were engaged in bitter warfare over their 
respective claims to the control of Italy, while Luther 
was stirring all Christendom with his attacks upon the 
papacy, while the Huguenots were struggling for the 
control of France, while Cardinal Wolsey was running 
his eccentric but influential course in England. It is 
not strange that such work as his in psalmody in such 
an age should have been productive of permanent 
results. 

Marot became valet de chambre to Marguerite de 
Valois at the age of twenty-one. Her influence over 
him was so great that he espoused the Huguenot faith, 
though his religion does not seem to have become 
particularly vital. His character is variously repre- 
sented by Catholic and Huguenot. He was certainly 
a gay, witty, and volatile soul, and his poems are for 
the most part short pieces—ballads, epigrams, and 
the like. Yet he suffered again and again for his 
Protestant principles, though we are tempted to 
believe it was chiefly because his Protestantism was 
so largely displayed in his satires upon the Roman 
clergy, even though these alternate with expressions 
of simple, unaffected faith. King Francis seems to 
have promoted him in his own persistent attempt 
to use anything or anybody who would serve his 
cause against the emperor. But even Charles V. 
subsequently admired his gifts and richly rewarded 
him for his work. 


54 The History and Use of Hymns 


Marot began to versify the psalms in 1533. 
Thirty of them were in circulation, in manuscript 
form, in 1537, and became the fashion of the 
hour. The king and his court sang them to bal- 
lad tunes, and from France they spread to adjoining 
countries. Their subsequent publication, in 1542, 
brought upon Marot the persecution of the Roman 
authorities and he fled to Geneva. Thence his 
psalmody spread through the Protestant world, and 
set the example for the host of versifiers who 
followed. 


THE GENEVAN PSALTER 


In 1543 was published at Geneva a remarkable 
historic volume known as 7he Genevan Psalter, the 
permanent influence of which may be attested by 
reference to any modern hymn-book. Marot died in 
1544; his psalter was enlarged and revised by Beza 
at the request of Calvin, and much which was objec- 
tionable, in its gayety, classical allusions, and refer- 
ences to the members of the French court, was 
removed. This psalter passed into a second edition 
in 1554; and into a third in 1562, when the work 
was completed by the versification of all the psalms. 
Marot’s name is still attached to it, as appears in the 
title, ‘‘ Les Pseaumes mis en rime francoise par Clem- 
ent Marot et Theodore de Beze.’’ 

The success and influence of this work were most 
remarkable. It was largely adopted among all the 
French-speaking people and was used to a consider- 
able extent even by the Catholics. Francis I. cher- 


Psalmody 55 


ished it upon his deathbed. Henry II. used one of 
its numbers as a hunting-song! The Huguenots 
everywhere were acquainted with it, and their Catholic 
enemies disguised their identity at times by singing 
its melodies. Very touching stories are related of its 
use cn the battle-field, and in the sad times following 
the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. At least one 
thousand editions of it were issued, and its influence 
extended throughout the Protestant world. 

It was translated into many languages, including 
Dutch, German, Italian, Spanish, Bohemian, Polish, 
Latin, and even Hebrew. In England several trans- 
lations appeared, and a number of the versions that 
succeeded it in Great Britain followed its form and 
expression in many particulars. Take it for all in all, 
it is doubtful if any book of praise—the original 
Psalms alone excepted—has ever had so important a 
mission or exercised so great an influence. 


ENGLISH PSALMODY 


Great Britain received the continental treasures of 
psalmody with her adoption of the doctrines of the 
Reformation. Its influence seems to have been 
immediately felt in England, for in 1538 Myles Cover- 
dale, bishop of Exeter, published a metrical version 
of thirteen psalms, ‘entitled ‘‘Goastly Psalmes and 
Spirituall Songes drawn out of the Holy Scripture.’’ 
This was the beginning of English psalmody; but it 
had no decided influence. 

The first important work in psalmody in Great 
Britain was that of George Buchanan, 1548. Bu- 


56 The History and Use of Hymns 


chanan was the greatest of all the British psalmists, 
and for many years the most distinguished, though 
now the least known. This is because his translation 
was in Latin. ; 

Buchanan was tutor to the Earl of Moray, the 
natural son of James V. Having embraced Protest- 
antism and written in its defense, his life was 
endangered and he fled to Portugal. But he was 
apprehended and cast into prison. During his confine- 
ment he occupied his time with the composition which 
made him famous. It subsequently passed through a 
number of editions, and has received unqualified praise 
from the best authorities. At that time Latin was 
still a living language, and Buchanan’s psalms were 
studied with great pleasure by many scholars. They 
are said to have even stimulated the genius of Isaac 
Watts. It may be very interesting to the student to 
observe a single example. The following is Buchan- 
an’s rendering of Psalm xxiii.: 

‘Quid frustra rabidi me petitis canes? 
Livor propositum cur premis improbum? 


Sicut pastor ovem, me dominus regit; 
Nil decrit penitus mihi. 


‘‘Per campi viridis mitia pabula, 
Que veris teneri pingit amcenitas, 
Nunc pascor placide; nunc saturum latus 
Fessus molliter explico. 


‘Pure rivus aquz leniter astrepens 
Membris restituit robora lanquidis, 
Et blando recreat somite spiritus 

Solis sub pace torrida. 


Psalmody 57 


**Saltus quum peteret meus vaga devios, 
Errorum teneras illecebras sequens, 
Retraxit miserans denero me bonus 

Pastor justitiz in viam. 


‘Nec si per trepidas luctifica manu 
Intentet tenebras mors mihi vulnera, 
Formidem duce te pergere; me pledo 

Securum facies tuo. 


*‘Tu mensas epulio accumulas, merum 
Tu plenis pateris sufficis, et caput 
Unguento exhiliras conficit a2mulos, 

Dum spectant, dolor anxius. 


“‘Me nunquam bonitas destituet tua 
Prosususque bonis perpetuo favor; 
Et non sollicitze longa domi tuze 

Vite tempora transfigam.”’ 


The movement in English psalmody virtually 
originated with Thomas Sternhold, ‘‘groom’’ to 
Henry VIII.—not a stable-boy, however, as might 
be imagined, but an important officer in charge of 
the royal wardrobe. Sternhold’s first attempts were 
made for his own ‘‘godly solace’’ and sung by him to 
his own organ. Afterwards he increased the number 
with the design of furnishing the people with sacred 
ballads which might displace the ungodly songs in 
common use. These songs were heard by the young 
King Edward and were repeated in his presence. 
The first edition published was dedicated to him, but 
its date cannot be determined. It contained nineteen 
psalms. The second edition, published in 1549, con- 
tained thirty-seven. Sternhold died in the same year, 


58 The History and Use of Hymns 


but his work was continued by another poet, John 
Hopkins, of whose personal history little is known, 
except that he was educated at Oxford and settled as 
a minister at Suffolk. 

The third edition of the psalter, with additions by 
Hopkins, appeared in 1551. 

And now the scene changes to Geneva, and the 
direct influence of Marot on English psalmody begins 
to be positively exercised. ‘‘Bloody Mary,’’ daughter 
of Henry VIII. and Catherine of Aragon, comes to 
the English throne (1553), and her attempts to restore 
the Catholic faith are associated with the persecution 
of the Protestants, even to the burning of bishops, 
clergymen, and people. A number of refugees seek 
safety on the continent, and a religious congregation 
of English and Scotch Protestants is organized at 
Frankfort-on-the-Main. John Knox is chosen pastor. 
But the Episcopalian and Dissenting brethren do not 
get on well together, and Knox, with his adherents, 
retires to Geneva, 1555. Here a distinct church is 
formed and a ‘‘Book of Order’’ published, and to 
complete it, the psalms of Sternhold and Hopkins are 
adopted—though with considerable alteration, and 
others are added. This was in 1556. 

To this Anglo-Genevan psalter several psalms and 
tunes in use to-day may be traced, notably ‘‘Old 
Hundred,’’ both the tune, as we know it, and the 
words beginning, 

‘fAll people that on earth do dwell.’”’ 

In 1562—dquickly followed by a second edition 

in 1563—appeared the most important of all the 


Psalmody 59 


English works of this kind up to this date. The 


entire one hundred and fifty psalms were now versified 
and appeared in a book entitled ‘‘ The whole Boke of 
Psalms, collected into English metre by Thomas 
Sternhold, J. Hopkins, and others; conferred with 
the Ebrue, with apt notes to sing them withal. Fatth- 
fully perused and allowed, according to the order 
appointed in the Queenes Majesties injunctions, very 
mete to be used by all sorts of people privately for 
their solace and comfort, laying apart all ungodly 
songs and ballades, which tend only to the nourish- 
ment of vice and corrupting of youth. Imprinted at 
London by John Day, dwelling over Aldersgate be- 
nethe Saint Martins. Cum gratia et privilegia 
Regie Majestatis per septennium an 1563. 

This book contained, in addition to psalms, other 
metrical versions, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, 
the scord s Prayer, the Vent,.Creator,’* :' Venite,”’ 
‘*Te Deum,’’ and a number of other ancient hymns 
with some modern originals. This work was known 
in subsequent times as the ‘‘Old Version.’’ It was 
in use in England for one hnndred and thirty-four 
years, or until the Restoration. 


ScoTCH PSALMODY 


Meanwhile the Scotch psalmody was developing 
along lines of its own. The Scotch Church adopted 
eighty-seven of the psalms in the Anglo-Genevan col- 
lection, selected and altered forty-two from Sternhold 
and Hopkins, and added twenty-one of its own. Its 
psalter was completed December, 1564, and the 


oa 


60 The History and Use of Hymns 


General Assembly ordered its use by all its ministers. 
Thereafter for forty years no further attention was 
given to the matter. In 1600 King James I. pro- 
posed to the Assembly the revision of its psalm-book, 
and undertook to conduct the work himself. He 
addressed himself to the task and had proceeded as 
- far as the thirty-first psalm when his work was inter- 
rupted by his death. His labors were, however, con- 
tinued by William Alexander, afterwards Earl of 
Stirling, who presented to the people the version in 
which the king had had so large a part, and which 
was consequently known as the ‘‘Royal Psalter.’’ 
This was in 1630. Charles I., the successor of 
James I., in his desire to fasten Episcopacy upon the 
Scotch, attempted to substitute this psalter for the 
one in use. In 1636 a revised edition appeared, 
bound up with a liturgy prepared by the Scotch bish- 
ops. This he thrust upon Scotland, with the order 
that no other psalm-book should be used in the land, 
But the indignant Scotch, with special reference, 
however, to the liturgy, characterized it as ‘‘ The 
Masse in English,’’ and would have none of it. 
Nevertheless, the work had its influence. Many 
of the loyal sons of the Scotch Church felt and ex- 
pressed the desire for something better than they 
were using, and this finally culminated in the produc- 
tion of the celebrated ‘‘Rous’ Version.’’ Francis 
Rous was a Presbyterian by conviction and a lawyer 
by profession. He attained to great celebrity apart 
from his attempts at sacred poetry. He was several 
times a member of Parliament during the reigns of 


Psalmody 61 


James and Charles I. He represented Truro in the 
Long Parliament, and took sides against the king and 
bishops. He was appointed a member of the West- 
minster Assembly of Divines, occupied the position 
of provost of Eton College, and held other important 
Offices. During the twelve years previous to 1640, 
when Parliament was not permitted to'assemble, he 
occupied much time in turning the psalms into meter. 
When, therefore, the Westminster Assembly was 
called, and undertook as part of its business the selec- 
tion of a psalter, Rous became the successful com- 
petitor. The consequence was that Rous’ Ver- 
sion was finally published in 1643. The Scotch 
spent seven years in amending and revising it, and 
then universally adopted it. The version as finally 
adopted and published, in 1650, became the psalter 
of the psalm-singing churches of the English tongue 
for two hundred years. It is still in use in Scotland 
and in those American churches known as ‘‘Coven- 
anters.’’ 

Rous’ Version at the time of its publication was 
in many respects the best metrical translation of the 
Psalms ever published. Its close adherence to the 
original text, however, was inseparable from that 
grace of English diction which is so large a part of 
poetic merit. It cannot be reconciled with the best 
modern taste, and many illustrations might be given 
of its defects if it were necessary. It is also written 
almost exclusively in the common meter, and there- 
fore limited in the range of tunes to which its parts 
may be sung. Yet it contains many single verses 


62 The History and Use of Hymns 


and some entire psalms upon which later attempts 
have scarcely improved. We may smile at such a 
torture of the English as this: 
“The na-ti-ons of Ca-na-an, 
By his Almighty hand, 
Before his face he did expel 

Out of their native land.’’ 
But we should be slow to criticise the time-honored 
lines: 


‘*The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’Il not want, 
He makes me down to lie 
In pastures green; he leadeth me 
The quiet waters by.’’ 


TATE AND BRADY 


We now return to England for the next important 
development in psalmody. The ‘‘Old Version’’ is 
now to be displaced by the ‘‘New Version,’’ though it 
has held the field for one hundred and thirty-four years. 
This ‘‘New Version’’ was the work of Nahum Tate 
and Nicholas Brady. It was published in London in 
1696. The authors were Irishmen. Tate was the 
son of aclergyman in Dublin; was educated at Trinity 
College; was stimulated in his literary work by the 
poet Dryden; published a number of poetical works; 
and became poet laureate. Brady was born at Ban- 
don, studied at Oxford and Trinity, and became a 
prebendary of Cork. He published several volumes 
of sermons and some poetical works, Bes a 
translation of Virgil’s A£nid. 

Tate and Brady’s psalter had no intrinsic merits to 
recommend it. It was no special improvement upon 


Psalmody Ri 8 AR 


that of Sternhold and Hopkins. Its general adoption 
was due to royal and commercial influence. It re- 
ceived the special indorsement of King William III., 
and the copyright was vested in the Stationers’ Com- 
pany, through whose exclusive control it was, so to 
speak, put upon the market. And yet this version 
had a certain literary flavor which contributed to its 
popularity. It has been accused indeed, by Keble 
for example, of sacrificing fidelity to the original to 
literary form. Before long it had supplanted the 
‘*Old Version’’ throughout the entire English (that is, 
the Episcopal) Church. Additions and changes were 
made in subsequent editions and certain hymns added. 
From England it passed over to America. In 1789 
it was adopted entire by the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States, and bound up with the 
prayer-book. The general convention of this church 
at subsequent periods added about two hundred hymns 
to the psalms—the number of psalms decreasing as 
the number of hymns increased until the latter were 
used much the more generally. 

The development of psalmody in England reaches 
its climax with Dr. Isaac Watts’ ‘‘Imitation of the 
Psalms of David in the language of the New Testa- 
ment’’ (1707), a notice of which appears under its 
author’s name. (See Chapter VI.) 


AMERICAN PSALMODY 


It is an exceedingly interesting fact that the first 
book printed on the American continent was a psalm- 
book. This was at first known as ‘‘The Bay Psalm- 


64 The History and Use of Hymns 


ist,’’ and afterwards as ‘‘The New England Version.”’ 
It was an entirely independent and original production. 

Previous to the appearance of the ‘‘Bay Psalmist’’ 
the colonists had employed what was known as the 
‘‘Ainsworth Version.’? This was the book of the 
Puritan refugees in Holland, published eight years 
before the departure of the Pilgrims in 1620, and 
taken by them to the New World. This was the 
book they used when 


‘‘Amid the storm they sang, 
And the stars heard and the sea; 
And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang 
With the anthem of the free.”’ 
This is the book to which Longfellow refers in his 


‘‘Courtship of Miles Standish,’’ when John Alden 
‘‘Heard as he drew near the door the musical voice of Priscilla.’’ 


But by and by a new translation was demanded, and 
in 1636 a committee was appointed by the Congrega- 
tional churches to undertake the work. Thereupon 
the version was made by Thomas Welde of Roxbury, 
Richard Mather of Dorchester, and John Eliot, the 
apostle to the Indians. The book was printed by 
President Dunster of Harvard College on a press sent 
out from Holland as a present from sympathizing 
friends and the novel work was completed. 

The ‘‘Bay Psalmist’’ passed through a number of 
editions unaltered for about one hundred years, and 
met with favor even in the mother country. In Scot- 
land it was printed and bound up with the Bible, and 
thence imported again into the American colonies. 
It was almost universally adopted by the New Eng- 


Psalmody 65 


land congregations, though in many of them the old 
Ainsworth Version was tardily and reluctantly aban- 
doned. 

The Bay Psalmist has been followed in America 
by other attempts at versification, which we cannot 
consider in detail. The most notable are the follow- 
ing: Dr. Cotton Mather’s ‘‘Psalterium Americanum,’’ 
in blank verse, 1778; Joel Barlow’s revision of the 
Psalms of Watts, 1785; Dr. Timothy Dwight’s revis- 
ion of Watts, as itself revised, 1800, by a committee 
of the Presbyterian Assembly. From this book we 
have derived the well-known rendering of Psalm 
CXXXVII.: 

«ey love thy kingdom, Lord, 
The house of thine abode, 


The church our blest Redeemer saved 
With his own precious blood.’’ 


Of the psalm-books now in use it is not necessary 
to speak. They may be easily acquired and studied 
by any one desiring to do so. It is a most interesting 
fact, however, that at the time of this writing a joint 
committee from nine different religious bodies of the 
United States and Canada is busily engaged upon the 
preparation of a new psalter which will in time be 
offered to the co-operating churches. It is the very 
earnest desire of many, among whom the writer is in- 
cluded, that the labors of this committee may be pro- 
ductive of a psalter which shall prove acceptable to 
all evangelical denominations and serve to unite them 
the more closely as respects their forms of divine 
praise. It is a very large and serious question 


66 The History and Use of Hymns 


whether the displacement of psalmody by hymnody 
has not been extreme, and whether it may not be to 
the improvement of public worship and of the spirit- 
ual life to return more closely to former customs and 
give the ‘‘Psalter’’ the place which it ought to hold 
in relation to the ‘‘Hymnal,’’ a place original and 
supreme. 

A completely satisfactory judgment of the merits 
of the various versions of the psalms cannot be formed 
except by extended comparison, because the selection 
of a single psalm or even of several might do consid- 
erable injustice to the remaining ones. Yet it will be 
at least an interesting illustration of their respective 
styles to add a selection from several of the more 
celebrated versions. The following is the first psalm 
as it appears in the versions indicated. It will be 
found to furnish ample variety of treatment and to 
some extent exhibit the peculiarity of the authors as 
already noted: 


STERNHOLD AND HOPKINS 


‘‘The man is blest that hath not lent 
To wicked men his ear, 
Nor led his life as sinners do, 
Nor sat in scorner’s chair. 


“But in the law of God the Lord 
Doth set his whole delight, 
And in the same doth exercise 

Himself both day and night. 


“He shall be like a tree that is 
Planted the rivers nigh, 
Which in due season bringeth forth 
Its fruit abundantly. 


Psalmody 67 


‘*Whose leaf shall never fade nor fail, 
But flourishing shall stand, 
E’en so all things shall prosper well 
That this man takes in hand. 


‘As for ungodly men, with them 
It shall be nothing so, 
But as the chaff which by the wind 
Is driven to and fro. 


‘‘Therefore the wicked men shall not 
In judgment stand upright, 
Nor in assembly of the just 
Shall sinners come in sight. 


“For why? the way of godly men 
Unto the Lord is known, 
Whereas, the way of wicked men 
Shall be quite overthrown.”’ 


ROUS 


‘*That man hath perfect blessedness 

Who walketh not astray 

In counsel of ungodly men 
Nor stands in sinners’ way; 

Nor sitteth in the scorner’s chair; 
But placeth his delight 

Upon God’s law, and meditates 
On his law, day and night. 


‘He shall be like a tree that grows 

Near planted by a river, 

Which in his season yields his fruit 
And his leaf fadeth never; 

And all he doth shall prosper well. 
The wicked are not so, 

But they are like unto the chaff 
Which wind drives to and fro. 


68 


The History and Use of Hymns 


‘In judgment therefore shall not stand 

Such as ungodly are, 

Nor in th’ assembly of the just 
Shall wicked men appear, 

Because the way of godly men 
Unto the Lord is known; 

Whereas the way of wicked men 
Shall quite be overthrown.”’ 


TATE AND BRADY 


‘“How blest is he who ne’er consents 

By ill advice to walk, 

Nor stands in sinners’ ways nor sits 
Where men profanely talk; 

But makes the perfect law of God 
His business and delight; 

Devoutly reads therein by day 
And meditates by night. 


‘Like some fair tree, which fed by streams 

With timely fruit does bend, 

He still shall flourish, and success 
All his designs attend. 

Ungodly men and their attempts 
No lasting root shall find; 

Untimely blasted and dispersed 
Like chaff before the wind. 


‘Their guilt shall strike the wicked dumb 

Before their judge’s face; 

No formal hypocrite shall then 
Amongst the saints have place 

For God approves the just man’s ways, 
To happiness they tend, 

But sinners and the paths they tread 
Shall both in ruin end.’’ 


Psalmody 69 


AINSWORTH 


**‘O blessed man that doth not in 
The wicked’s counsel walk; 
Nor stand in sinners’ ways, nor sit 
In seat of scornful folk. 


“But setteth in Jehovah’s law 
His pleasureful delight; 
And in his law doth meditate 
By day and eke by night. 


‘And he shall be like as a tree 
By water-brooks planted; 
Which in his time shall give his fruit 
His leaf eke shall not fade. 


*‘And whatsoever he shall do, 
It prosp’rously shall thrive; 
Not so the wicked, but as chaff 
Which wind away doth drive. 


‘*Therefore the wicked shall not in 
The judgment stand upright; 
And in th’ assembly of the just 
Not any sinful wight. 


“For of the just Jehovah he 

Acknowledgeth the way; 

And way of the ungracious 
Shall utterly decay.”’ 


CHAPTER ’V 
ENGLISH HYMNOLOGY. PERIODS 


Poetry is the index of its age. It surpasses all 
other forms of literature in reflecting the character of 
the times in which it is produced. But beyond all 
other poetry the songs of a people are the most ex- 
pressive of their state; in them is the quintessence of 
their sentiments and aspirations. It follows, there- 
fore, that in religious song we reach the very climax 
of characteristic literature, because it voices the deep- 
est feelings of the soul. Neither David nor David’s 
times can be so well known from the Books of Samuel 
as from David’s psalms. The first is but external 
history; the last is the record of the heart. The 
hopes and fears and trials and successes of the great 
singer of Israel are reflected in his poetry. It is 
even so in the case of our English hymnody. It 
bears the impress of its age. And so the character 
of its hymns varies from time to time, with the vary- 
ing féatures of outward life. The hymns produced 
at one time are not reproduced thereafter. We may 
truly say they could not be. The peculiar form of 
faith or activity presented in one century is not pre- 
sented in another, because it does not exist. Some 


other form presses for utterance and the character 


of the hymnody is altered. 


For similar reasons many hymns produced in one | 


7O 


English Hymnology. Pertods 71 


age are rejected by the next, because they do not 
meet its conditions and its needs. But meanwhile 
some are retained, cherished, and sung, because they 
answer the abiding yearnings of the soul, and these 
become the permanent heritage of the worshiping 
people of God. This will all be fully illustrated in 
the study of English Hymnology to which we now 
proceed. 

We distinguish three periods in English Hymnol- 
ogy, as follows: (1) The First Period, Doctrinal and 
Didactic, 1650 to 1780; (2) The Second Period, 
Missionary and Evangelistic, 1780 to 1850; (3) The 
Third Period, Experimental and Devotional, 1850 to 
the present time. We describe each in order in this 
chapter and subsequently consider the work of their 
great representatives. 


FIRST PERIOD—1650-—1780 
Doctrinal and Didactic 


These were troubled times in both state and 
church. Society in all its forms was very unsettled. 
Bitter controversy, violent factions, forcible overturn- 
ings of existing order, the clash of arms and opinions 
were the characteristic features of the civilized world. 
Europe and America were kept in a state of continual 
ferment, and worse than all, the English-speaking 
peoples were at war among themselves. 

I. Consider the condition in the state: what was 
it when our first great English hymn-writers were 
penning their songs? 

The year 1650 finds Europe terribly distressed and 


72 The History and Use of Hymns 


' devastated by the Thirty Years’ War. It is only two 

“years since the Peace of Westphalia was concluded. 
It finds France under the heel of a Roman cardinal, 
where Richelieu had brought it, and Mazarin directing 
the government in triumphant disregard of nobles and 
people. It finds Cromwell at the head of the com- 
monwealth, which he has already governed for a year, 
and over which he is to preside for nearly nine years 
longer. Charles the First has just been beheaded, and 
Cromwell is moving against a rebellion in Ireland in 
behalf of young Charles, son of the executed king. 
In this same year it will be suppressed with terrible 
severity, and Charles will escape in disguise to Nor- 
mandy. 

In America there is in 1650 the distress of the 
colonists, with which the reader is doubtless familiar. 
Already apprehensive for their liberties, they looked 
with dismay upon the troubled state of the mother 
country and hesitated in expression of their senti- 
ments and sympathies lest either through the common- 
wealth or the monarchy they should be despoiled. 
Harassed on all sides by their savage foes, the New 
England colonies entered into a defensive league, 
from which Rhode Island was excluded. The Dutch 
and English are in conflict throughout the middle 
colonies, the English expelling the Dutch from Con- 
necticut, and within a few years to obtain possession 
also of New Amsterdam, which will henceforth be 
known as New York. Such in brief is the political 
condition of the English world at the opening of our 
period. 


Enghsh Hymnology. Periods 73 


A mere sketch must suffice to trace its events to 
its close. It covers one hundred and thirty years. 
It is one of the most turbulent periods that Europe 
has ever seen. It is foreshadowed in the ‘‘Year of 
Wonders’’ (1665), five years after the restoration of 
the monarchy under Charles II. The terrible events 
of this single year are prophetic of the century that 


_. follows: the great plague in London which carried to 


the grave a hundred thousand of its citizens; the 
great fire following, in which almost the entire city 
was consumed. These were swiftly followed by the 
two wars with Holland (1667, 1672), and by the 
English Revolution (1685), the coming of William 
and Mary, the flight of James II., and the final 
triumph of Protestantism. Then comes the war of 
the ‘‘Grand Alliance’’ (1689 to 1697), in which 
France was shorn of her great power. The eight- 
eenth century opens with the war of the ‘‘Spanish 
Succession,’’ in which almost all Europe combines 
again, in opposition to France and Spain, and the 
great Duke of Marlborough of England and the almost 
equally great Eugene of Savoy direct the forces of 
the allies. Ere long comes Frederick the Great of 
Prussia with his wars (1740-1786); the campaigns 
against the Pretender in Scotland (1745, 1746); the 
French and Indian wars in America (1744-1763); the 
American Revolution (1775-1783); and in France 
the dreadful echoes of a storm upon the horizon soon 
to break in the fury of the French Revolution. 

2. The condition of the state during this period is 
reflected in the condition of the church. Indeed, toa 


74 The History and Use of Hymns 


very great degree, the first was occasioned by the 
second. The conflict of religious opinions and the 
jealousies of religious parties issued in political com- 
plications and the strife of nations. The alliance 
of the church with the state was the explanation—the 
two were identified. The wars were therefore religious 
wars. The parties to them were not so much race 
against race as faith against faith; not so much 
France and Spain against England and her allies as 
Catholic against. Protestant. 

But bad as this was, it was not the worst; for the 
various divisions of Protestantism were arrayed against 
each other with almost equal virulence. The story 
of the commonwealth in England is not simply that 
of commoner against the crown; but that of Indepen- 
dency against Presbytery, and of both against Epis- 
copacy. Even the followers of Cromwell were called 
**Roundheads’’ from the religious custom of cutting 
the hair closely, rather than permitting it to fall in 
tresses on the shoulders. And so while the Puritans 
joined Cromwell the Presbyterians favored the king 
and the restoration was ultimately accomplished 
through the combined influence of Presbyterians and 
Episcopalians. But ere long the character of the 
conflict changed, and then changed again. In 1673 
all Dissenters were excluded from office by act of 
Parliament, and very soon all Protestants of every 
name were put in peril by Romish intrigue. James 
II. initiated one of the most trying periods in English 
history (1685-1688). Oblivious to his own solemn 
promise to defend the Church of England, he adopted 


aR emengeennner 


English Hymnology. Periods 75 


the most cruel measures to extinguish religious liberty 
and coerce the people into the old religion. The 
notorious Jeffreys and Claverhouse appear, the 
‘‘Bloody Assizes’’ begin, and a terrible persecution 
follows, terminated only by the coming of William 
and Mary. 

It is impossible within our space to recount or 
even refer to all the significant events of those dis- 
tracted times; we may merely indicate their character. 
The history to the close of the period is traced in con- 


/ nection with such things as these: the Revocation of 
the Edict of Nantes (1685); the low state of religion 
in the English church occasioning the rise of Method- 
_ ism (1729); then the fierce disputes between Armini- 
| ans and Calvinists, in which devoted Christian laborers 


parted in passion and were permanently estranged 
from each other; and to crown all, the coming of the 
most influential infidels that the modern church has 
encountered, such as Hume (d. 1776), Voltaire (d. 
1778), Gibbon (d. 1794), and others. Such was the 
age which persecuted Baxter for nine long years, until 
his health failed under his sufferings, and kept Bunyan 
in jail for twelve years simply because he would 
preach the gospel in his own way to his own people. 

Yet it is in just such times that poetry reaches its 
supreme height and draws prose also after it. The 
‘*Saint’s Rest’’ and the ‘‘Pilgrim’s Progress’’ are 
joined with sacred songs, in which the heart swells 
with sweetest melody. The loftiest themes then invite 
the attention of the sacred bard, the profoundest ex- 
periences are expressed in stirring tones, and the Eng- 


76 The History and Use of Hymns 


lish language contains no hymns which equal those of 
this period. There is intensity and feeling in them. 
Doctrine is set forth with emphasis; faith in God 
expressed with deep conviction. Many hymns indeed 
appear which are an argument rather than an aspira- 
tion. Partisan theology sometimes displaces evangeli- 
cal truth. But by and by these blemishes will be 
corrected, excrescences will fall away, or even the 
entire imperfect portions will be rejected, and that 
which remains after these eliminations will furnish the 
church a body of versified praise incomparable, 
enduring. 


SECOND PERIOD—1780—1850 


Missionary and Evangelistic 


As we pass from the first period into the second 
we enter a new atmosphere, almost a new world. 
Protestantism has become dominant in those countries 
in which it is henceforth to characterize the life of the 
people; the mutual animosities of Protestant denomi- 
nations begin to be allayed and Protestant England 
has become the chief power in Europe. There will 
be revolutions and wars indeed during the period, 
but ina different sphere of action, with a different 
motive and a different outcome. And what is more 
to our present purpose, the English-speaking peoples, 
with the exception of the comparatively unimportant 
war of 1812, will be at peace with themselves. 
There will be no violent civil disturbances in Great 
Britain like those from which her people suffered in 
the preceding period. The religious concerns of 


English Hymnology. Periods aig 


Protestant Christendom will be disentangled from 
political complications, spiritual forces will have a 
correspondingly larger growth and wider influence, 
and all this will find glowing expression in the hym- 
nody of the age. 

I. The period is opened with the French Revolu- 
tion (1789-1794), with which we are accustomed to 
associate all that is lawless and brutal. It was not so 
much, however, the expression of blind and purposeless 
malice as an inevitable upheaval of repressed society, 
a volcanic eruption in which the pent-up fury of a 
people who had long suffered the irresponsible injus- 
tice, immorality, and cruelty of its monarchs was 
poured forth. Its effects were salutary. It buried 
beneath its scoria the last remnants of feudalism and 
absolutism and furnished a new, rich soil for the 
growth of political and religious rights. 

Then came the Napoleonic wars, depopulating 
France, disturbing all other nations, and turning 
Europe into a charnel-house. But even these were 
not without their good effects. For though Napoleon 
was a royalist upon principle, a democrat in no true 
sense of the word, it was not without meaning that he 
called himself, not the emperor of France, but the 
emperor of the French. He gathered about him the 
ablest men in all departments of knowledge, he brought 
much order out of chaos, he gave Europe the best 
code of laws it had ever had, and he was tolerant of 
all religions. So, royalist though he was, his sense of 
royalty was not that of his predecessors, and in the 
change of dynasty which he effected, hereditary abso- 


78 The History and Use of Hymns 


lutism received a check from which it was never to 
recover. 

England, of course, was deeply concerned with all 
that transpired upon the Continent. Her people suf- 
fered in the continental wars. The draft upon her 
resources was enormous. But in her triumphs the 
cause of the Protestant faith was advanced. Trafal- 
gar (1805) gave her the sovereignty of the seas; 
Waterloo (1815) confirmed her supremacy upon the 
land. Meanwhile in her prolonged internal peace 
reforms of various kinds were quietly but surely 
effected—even the political disabilities of Roman 
Catholics were removed—a great era of scientific in- 
vention was ushered in, and the blessed Victorian age 
began. Our hymns relate none of the external events of 
this period, but they are fully indicative of its character. 

2. The period begins with the year 1780. The 
state of the Protestant Church at the time was most 
deplorable. Vital religion was at its lowest ebb. The 
influence of the great infidels of the last period was ~- 
at its height, and upon both sides of the Atlantic out- 
spoken skepticism characterized the enemies of the 
Cross and apathy its friends. But for just this rea- 
son there were those in whom the Spirit of God was 
stirring. They called mightily upon God for help 
and the answer soon came in one of the most remark- 
able religious movements the world has ever known. 
The movement—like the hymns which it evoked—was 
twofold, evangelistic and missionary. The Great 
Revival of 1800 and the birth of modern missions 
were coincident. In England the missionary element 


English Hymnology. Periods 79 


was the first to take definite shape, and in America 
the evangelistic; but England soon shared very largely 
in the evangelistic as America did in the missionary. 

The first of the great modern missionary societies, 
the English Baptist, was organized October 2, 1792, 
chiefly through the efforts of William Carey. The 
first great English missionary hymn was written by 
one of the members of this society, Benjamin Bed- 
dome. Seven years later (1799) the English Church 
Missionary Society was formed, and from its devoted 
Bishop Heber came the greatest of missionary hymns. 
The American Board was organized 1810, and with 
it virtually begins all American hymnology. Other 
societies followed in swift succession, and soon the 
entire Protestant Church presented the sublime spec- 
tacle of the Body of Christ girding itself anew for the 
conquest of the world. 

The Great Revival of 1800 began in America, and 
its more apparent effects were largely confined to this 
continent; but its influence extended to Great Britain 
also. In it modern evangelism was born, as modern 
missions in the corresponding movement abroad. It 
is not easy to mark the exact initial point of this great 
awakening. It was distinctly noted as early as 1797 
in the central portion of the country, particularly Ken- 
tucky. Thence it spread from state to state, and 
from church to church, until in 1800 it had covered 
the whole land. 

Religious interest continued at its height for several 
years and then declined; but only to rise again and 
again—successive tidal waves of spiritual influence. 


80 The History and Use of Hymns 


Thus the whole religious aspect of America and to 
some extent of Great Britain was altered. Christian- 
ity was no longer a subject of contempt, but of inter- 
est and admiration. Its representatives came the 
more to the front, its principles of love were widely 
exhibited, and every department of life felt the power 
of its teachings and examples. No better illustration 
of this can be found than in the abolition of the slave- 
trade, 1807, followed in 1833 by the absolute and 
voluntary abandonment of the system of slavery 
throughout the dominions of Great Britain. 

The church had ceased to contend with itself and 
extended its sympathies to the whole lost world. It 
summoned all its energies to save the heathen at home 
and the heathen abroad. Its expanded hopes and 
enlarged efforts found expression in its songs. Surely 
it is a new atmosphere—almost a new world. 





THIRD PERIOD—1850— 


Devotional and Experimental 


Little need be said concerning the third and last 
period. Its events are sufficiently familiar to the 
average student. In hymnody it is distinctly a period 
of decadence, a decadence which has continued to 
become more pronounced until the present day. This 
is not because religion is losing its hold upon the 
minds of men or because its practical effects upon the 
life are diminishing. The contrary is emphatically 
true. The reason of the decadence is found in the 
absence of a fresh impulse. "Great poetry does not 
continue with the continuance of hopes, struggles, and 


Enghsh Hymnology. Periods 81 


successes; no more do great hymns. The further the 
stimulating cause retires into the past, the more does 
the spirit of song subside. Therefore our later hymns 
are of the sentimental kind, and no writer is found the 
equal of some of the past periods. 

Christian experience is expressed in exquisite meas- 
ures; but there are no clarion notes, no trumpet calls 
—these have already been sounded and there remain 
only their echoes. Not that our present hymnody is 
not elevating and useful. It is eminently so, because 
like that which went before, it suits and characterizes 
its ownage. One of its singular characteristics is the 
multiplication of female hymnists—a far greater pro- 
portion than in any preceding time. This, too, is in 
keeping with the character of the age. It is pre- 
eminently the woman’s age; she is more prominently 
connected with the work of the church than she has 
ever been. So she has become its chief singer. One 
single name, that of Fanny Crosby, is appended to 
over three thousand hymns. But the men are other- 
wise engaged. Very few attempt to write hymns. 
And so we wait for a fresh outpouring of the Holy 
Spirit, involving some new struggle with the powers 
of darkness, some new development of spiritual life 
which shall stir the heart of Christendom and evoke 
again its noblest melodies. 


CHAPTER VI 
THE BEST HYMNS 


Before passing to the examination of the hymns 
themselves we should endeavor to fix upon a standard 
by which they may be judged and their comparative 
rank determined. 

It is generally conceded that this standard cannot 
be such as is applied to other classes of literature. 
Hymnody is unique. It is employed for one specific 
purpose and must be judged by rules of its own. So 
while it is admitted that the canons of literary criticism 
may have due weight, and while room is given for the 
expression of competent authority, the final arbiter 
must be Christian usage. What the church generally 
adopts must be a good hymn, and the hymns that are 
most generally adopted must be the best hymns. 

It then becomes our duty to determine the qualities 
possessed by such hymns, and conclude that the 
degree to which a hymn exhibits these qualities it is 
entitled to take rank. 

But even so, it is necessary to exercise a judicious 
care. How shall we determine Christian usage? 
What testimony shall we receive? In short, what 
sort of use establishes usage? 

Manifestly a song that aspires to be a hymn does 
not fulfil the conditions simply because of its mere 
popularity. It may be sung far and wide, in various 

82 


The Best Hymns 83 


gatherings, caught up by the multitude, and even 
whistled by the boys in the street. This does not 
place it in the rank of the great hymns. It must 
certainly conform to at least four conditions before it 
can be said to be adopted. 

I. It must obtain a hold upon the great Christian 
community. It must not be partisan or sectional, 
else it is not ‘‘adopted.’’ 

2. Its hold must be permanent. If its spirit 
accords with but a single juncture or a single genera- 
tion, if its sentiment suits but a single age, it is not 
adopted. 

3. It must find a place in the solemn and stated 
worship of the great congregation. If it is used only 
in the camp-meeting, the Sunday school, or some 
similar portion of worship, it cannot be said to be 
adopted. ; 

4. It must be embodied in some authorized body 
of sacred song, put forth or sanctioned by some 
recognized organization of Christians. If it never 
emerges from the publication of some irresponsible 
person or firm, it cannot be called ‘‘adopted.’’ Such 
principles have been accepted by those who have 
sought to determine usage as a standard by which to 
judge our hymns. 

Several systematic and learned attempts have been 
made in this direction, the most notable of which are 
the following: 

I. Anglican Hymnology.* The subtitle of this 


*Anglican Hymnology, by Rev. James King, M.A. London, 
Hatchards, Piccadilly, 1885. 


84 The History and Use of Hymns 


book is, ‘‘Bemmg an account of the 325 standard 
hymns of the highest merit, according to the verdict of 
the whole Anglican Church.”’ 

As to the method pursued the author says he ‘‘col- 
lected and collated with much labor fifty-two repre- 
sentative hymnals used in the Church of England at 
home and abroad. These included hymnals of the 
Scottish Episcopal, American, and Colonial churches 
in communion with the Anglican.’’ ‘‘The fifty-two 
were regarded as a committee, each member of which 
could, as it were, give one vote for each approved 
hymn.’’ ‘‘Two thousand of our best known hymns 
have thus been tested, and those that have obtained ~ 
most marks have been selected and classified on the 
following principle’’: Hymns receiving thirty votes 
and upwards, /zrst Rank; hymns receiving twenty 
votes and upwards, Second Rank; hymns receiving 
fifteen votes and upwards, Zizrd Rank, hymns receiv- 
ing less than fifteen votes regarded as not generally 
approved. 

In this examination not a single hymri received the 
votes of all the hymnals! So that not one is great by 
unanimous consent. The author also admits that 
some hymns may not have obtained votes enough to 
be enrolled in a high rank because of their too recent 
date. It takes from twenty to fifty years for some 
hymns to win their way to favor. 

According to the collation of this author the first- 
rank hymns are one hundred and five in number. 
Four of these stand at the head of the list, greatly 
distinguished in that they obtain fifty-one votes— 


The Best Hymns 85 


within one vote of unanimity. They are therefore 
frequently referred to as Zhe Great Four. They are 
the following, though the actual order need not be 
preserved, as all obtained the same number of votes. 


I. All Praise to thee, my God, this night.—Bp. Ken. 
2. Hark! the Herald Angels Sing.—C. Wesley. 
*3. Lo! He comes with clouds descending. 
Cennick-Wesley. 
4. Rock of Ages, cleft for me.—Toplady. 


Six other hymns received forty-nine votes ana are 
here added: 


Abide with me; fast falls the eventide.—Lyte. 
Awake my soul and with the sun.—Bp. Ken. 
Jerusalem the golden.—Bernard-Neale. 
Jesus, Lover of my soul.—C. Wesley. 

Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear.—Keble. 
When I survey the wondrous cross.— Watts. 


DO oN aH 


I 


2. The National Hymn-Look.+ Thisisan attempt 
similar to that of the Anglican Hymnology, but 
applied to America. The author selects the hymna- 
ries of the following denominations: Baptists, Congre- 
gationalists, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Methodists, 
Presbyterians, and Reformed and some others—thirty 
in all. From these a hymn-book is compiled. The 
author, however, includes no hymn, whatever its 
merits, not found in the hymnal of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. 

This is somewhat more catholic in method than 
that pursued in the Anglican Hymnology, but its use- 

*As to authorship of this hymn, see page 124. 

+The National Hymn-Book of the American Churches. 


Edited by Robert Ellis Thompson, S.T.D. Philadelphia, John 
D. Wattles, 1893. 


86 The History and Use of Hymns 


fulness for our purposes is destroyed by its peculiar 
limitation. The standard is virtually the hymnal of 
the Episcopal Church, with other hymnals corrobo- 
rating. 

Ill. Zhe Best Church Hymns.* The author of 
this book has collated one hundred and seven hymn- 
books, among which are included those of the two 
authors above. He then takes eighty per cent as the 
proportion of books in which a hymn must be found 
to attain the first rank. This gives him thirty-two 
hymns which may be called ‘‘the best church hymns.’’ 
This makes an invaluable little book—incomparably 
the best of its kind extant. The work has been done 
in the spirit of broadest charity, with no evidence of 
sectarianism of any kind, and the results embody the 
judgment of ourcommon Protestantism. The author, 
however, expresses the same caution as that of the 
Anglican Fymnology, that there may be certain first- 
rank hymns not included in the list simply because 
they have not as yet had time to find their way into 
the collections. These thirty-two, however, are not 
likely to be superseded. The list is as follows, the 
number of votes for each following. For purposes of 
comparison the rank of each hymn, also according to 
the Anglican Hymnology, is placed after the author’s 
name:t 


I. Rock of Ages, cleft for me (106). Toplady. A.H. 4. 
2. When I survey the wondrous cross (104). Watts. A.H. 10, 
3. Jesus, Lover of my soul (104). Wesley. <A.H. 8. 
*The Best Church Hymns, by the Rev. Louis F. Benson, 
D.D. Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1898. 
+Copyright list. Used by permission. 


-_ 


| hel 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 


Ez? 
18. 


19. 


20. 
Zi: 
a2 
23: 
24. 
25. 
26. 
Ha 
28. 


20. 
30. 
ae 
32. 


oO ON Nt 


The Best Hymns 87 


. All praise to Thee, my God, this night (103). Ken. A.H. I. 
. Jesus, I my cross have taken (103). Lyte. A.H. 287. 


Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear (103). Keble. A.H. 9. 
Awake, my soul, and with the sun (101). Ken. A.H. 6. 


. Hark! the herald angels sing (101). Wesley. A.H. 2. 

. Abide with me: fast falls the eventide (101). Lyte. A.H. 5. 
. Jerusalem, my happy home (101). Montgomery. A.H. 16. 
. How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds (101). 


Newton. A.H. 15. 
Nearer, my God, to Thee (100). Adams. A.H. 13. 
From Greenland’s icy mountains (100). Heber. A.H. 17. 
Our God, our Help in ages past (100). Watts. A.H. I9. 
Jerusalem the golden (99). Bernard-Neale. A.H. 7. 
Lo! He comes with clouds descending ‘94). 
Cennick-Wesley. A.H. 3. 
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun (94). Watts. A.H. 40. 
Glorious things of thee are spoken (93). Newton. <A.H. 31. 
Hark the glad sound! the Saviour comes (92). 
Doddridge. A. H. 14. 
Come, let us join our cheerful songs (92). Watts. A.H. 30. 
All hail the power of Jesus’ Name (92). Perronet. A.H. 46. 
Hail to the Lord’s Anointed (91). Montgomery. <A.H. 26. 
O worship the King (91). Grant. A.H. 32. 
Christ the Lord is risen to-day (90). Wesley. <A.H. 37. 
Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah (90). Williams. A.H. 58. 
Just as I am, without one plea (90). Elliott. A.H. 64. 
God moves in a mysterious way (90). Cowper. A.H. 49. 
Jesus, the very thought of Thee (89). 
Bernard-Caswall. <A.H. 59. 
Children of the heavenly King (87). Cennick. A.H. 55. 
There is a land of pure delight (87). Watts. A.H. 7o. 
Thou whose almighty word (86). Marriott. A.H. 29. 
Brief life is here our portion (86). Bernard-Neale. A.H. 22. 


While the numbers do not exactly coincide they 


show a remarkable degree of correspondence. The 
only surprising disagreement is with regard to Lyte’s 
hymn, ‘‘Jesus, I my cross have taken,’’ which is 5 in 
Dr. Benson’s list, and only 287 in Mr. King’s, being 


88 The History and Use of Hymns 


there assigned to the ‘‘third rank.’’ But it will be 
observed that in the two lists there are seven hymns 
common to the first ten, fifteen common to the first 
twenty, and twenty common to the entire list of 
thirty-two. 

Here, then, we have something upon which we 
can depend and by which we may be safely guided. 
We shall therefore recur to these lists as we pursue 
our studies of the separate hymns in the succeeding 
chapters. 

We now inquire, What are the qualities possessed 
“by these hymns which have secured their general 
adoption? The answers to this question as given by 
Mr. King and ‘Dr. Benson are in substantial agree- 
ment. Mr. King states them as follows: (1) Terse 
in thought and expression; (2) Scriptural in phra- 
seology; (3) Catholic in doctrine; (4) Clothed in poetic 
language. Dr. Benson finds the following, prefaced 
with a remark concerning the catholicity of the 
church’s judgment, in that the writers represent so 
many different religious bodies: (1) Lyrical quality; 
(2) Literary excellence; (3) Liturgical propriety; (4) _ 
Reverence; (5) Spiritual reality. 

Admitting the propriety of these conclusions, we 
are persuaded that for the purposes of this volume a 
somewhat different arrangement must be made. 

The qualities of the best hymns must be so stated 
as to be both inclusive and exclusive, and therefore it 
does not fulfil all our conditions to note simply certain 
features of those hymns which have been generally 
adopted by the church, 


The Best Hymns 89 


The standard must be expressed in terms which 
shall as certainly rule out objectionable verses as it 
rules in acceptable ones. The following may then 
be given as the indispensable qualities of a true 
hymn. 

I. Jt must be Scriptural, both in sentiment and 
expression. Beyond all question this is chief. The 
hymn must be absolutely true to Scripture. Nor is 
it enough that its thought is not a violation of Scrip- 
ture truth; the very form in which that thought is cast 
must be just as true to the Scripture as the thought 
itself. Otherwise we cannot be safeguarded in the 
offering of divine praise. 

The abstract truth of Scripture is one thing; the 
spirit of Scripture—its tone and temper—is quite 
another. But both must be present in a correct 
transcription of Scriptural thought. The naked 
truth may be preserved while its spirit is violated; 
and on the other hand, its spirit may be presented 
while the statement of the truth is inaccurate. We 
cannot certainly save ourselves from both errors 
except by insisting on fidelity in both sentiment and 
expression. 

‘‘Spiritual reality’? is imperative; but it is not 
enough. Some poems that aspire to be hymns, 
possess it, that are nevertheless trivial, misanthropic, 
uncharitable, or even vulgar. It is a very solemn 
responsibility which he accepts who undertakes to 
voice the praise of the Almighty and it is an almost 
equally solemn one which he assumes who invites 
others to engage init. Noone should ever venture 


go The History and Use of Hymns 


to do either who does not keep close to the Word of 
God. 

It is not necessary, perhaps, to paraphrase con- 
secutive verses of Scripture, as has been done in the 
versions of the Psalms, but nothing should be called 
a hymn, and nothing should ever be sung in our 
assemblies, which is not virtually a paraphrase—and 
that a very faithful one—of Scripture passages, 
whether they are immediately connected in the Holy 
Word or not. 

If, now, we apply this rule to the hymns adopted in 
the usage of the church, we will find that it obtains. 
Take the first great hymn as an example, ‘‘ Rock of 
Ages’’ is a Scriptural thought in Scriptural form. 
How often is Jehovah called a Rock! But in Isaiah 
xxvil. 4, where the King James version reads ‘‘In 
the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength,’’ the mar- 
gin has ‘‘the Lord Jehovah is the Rock of Ages.’’ 
The Revised Version has ‘‘the Lord Jehovah is an 
everlasting rock’’ with ‘‘A Rock of Ages’’ in the 
margin. Toplady, then, exhibited scholarship, poetry, 
and profound devotion in seizing the expression as the 
theme of his song, and all Christendom has responded. 
But as we proceed with the lines of his hymn we can 
verify them in like manner and the student is urged 
to apply the rule to other hymns. 

Our psalm-singing brethren are right in general 
principles, though we may deny their limited applica- 
tion; and these principles should contain the first 
great, inviolable element whereby the true hymn shall 
be determined. 


The Best Hymns gt 


2. The true hymn must be devotional. In this is 
included profound reverence and ‘“‘liturgical propri- 
ety.’’ Some other things are also included in the 
term. True devotion contemplates God in the vari- 
ous relations which he sustains towards his earthly 
creatures. The true hymn must therefore have a 
motion Godward. It is not exactly necessary that 
God should be directly addressed—indeed, the express 
form of address may be otherwise—but God must 
be uppermost in the thought even if not particularly 
conspicuous in the expression. The true hymn must 
tend towards God; bring him to mind; exalt his 
name and seek his glory. Those which are simply 
introspective, didactic, dogmatic, sentimental, egotisti- 
cal, and the like, are not hymns. The Pharisee’s 
utterances in the Temple, when he went up thither 
with the Publican, did not contain a single element of 
prayer. Some so-called hymns are like it—they do 
not contain a single element of praise. 

Devotion is also worshipful. A hymn must con- 
tain nothing inconsistent with this, nothing that may 
not properly be uttered in approaching the Infinite, 
Adorable God. Those which are coarse, irreverent, 
trifling, or calculated to form an unworthy image in 
the mind should be severely excluded from our wor- 


ship. 
Let the student test the adopted hymns by this 
rule. ‘‘Jerusalem, my happy home,’’ does not 


address God in a single stanza, but is adjudged a 
true hymn—its motion is distinctly Godward—the 
Saviour is set forth as the center and attraction of 


92 The Histery and Use of Hymns 


the place. The same characteristic will be found in 
some others; all are grave and dignified; all ex- 
press the adoration of the worshiper in reverential . 
strains. 

3. The true hymn must be lyrical. This means 
much more than that it may be set to music. The 
question should be asked, Is it improved by being set 
to music? If not, it is not a lyric. There must be, 
indeed, an interaction between the words and the 
music that is harmonious and reciprocal. The tune 
must be a help to the hymn and the hymn a help to 
the tune, else either tune or hymn is at fault—per- 
haps both. 

The true lyric does not receive its best interpreta- 
tion until it is sung; so that it is not enough to say, 
““It may be sung’’—it must be sung. It is not well 
interpreted until itis sung. It does not express all 
its meaning nor exert all its power. We should 
rigidly reject, therefore, anything claiming to be hymn 
which is better said than sung. If a fine elocutionist 
can give it greater influence in declaiming it than a 
fine vocalist by singing it, it ought not to be called a 
hymn. 

Apply this rule to the hymns adopted by the 
Church. It certainly applies to a very striking 
degree. Look again over the list of first lines given 
above; recall the tunes to which so many have been 
irrevocably wedded and their lyrical qualities will cer- 
tainly appear. 

These three rules are deemed sufficient. It does 
not appear that any other qualities are imperative. 


The Best Hymns 93 


Poetic language certainly adds to the merit of a hymn, 
but it is not indispensable. Some of the great hymns 
are not particularly great as poetry. Even Bishop 
Ken’s Morning Hymn, ranking sixth in Anglican 
Fymnology and seventh in The Best Church Hymns, 
is not very far removed above good prose. But it is 
not thereby degraded in rank. At all events, if we 
take these three qualities, Scriptural, devotional, 
lyrical, as exhibited in the hymns generally adopted 
by the Church at large, we have a test sufficiently 
critical and comprehensive to apply to all poetic 
aspirants for hymnic honors. 

With them, therefore, we proceed to our examina- 
tion of the separate compositions. 


CHAPTER VII 7 
HYMNS OF THE FIRST PERIOD. I 


In our account of the hymn-writers of the three 
periods in English Hymnology we shall give partic- 
ular attention only to those of the first rank, as 
determined by usage. 


BISHOP KEN.—1637-1711 


The Reverend Thomas Ken, D.D., was born at 
Berkhampstead, Hertfordshire, July, 1637, and died at 
Longleat, Somersetshire, March 19, 1711. It will 
be observed that his life covers that troubled period 
in English history distinguished by the Common- 
wealth and the Restoration. 

His preparatory education was received at the 
Winchester school, where his name is still to be seen 
cut into one of the stone pillars. He was graduated 
from Oxford, and after filling a number of positions, 
was appointed chaplain to Charles II., 1682. Two 
years later he was made bishop of Bath and Wells. 
His advancement was not due to sycophancy. On 
the contrary, he was fearless in his rebuke of royal 
immorality, like another John the Baptist. While 
serving at Winchester the king visited the place and 
desired his residence as a temporary dwelling for 
some of the worthless characters of his train. ‘‘Not 
for the king’s kingdom,’’ was the heroic clergyman’s 


94 


ple wet 


Hymns of the First Period. I 95 


reply, and his very courage and fidelity to his trust 
so aroused the king’s admiration as to lead to his pref- 
erment. James II. continued him in place, but with 
William and Mary began his years of humiliation and 
suffering. He was deprived of his honors by the new 
dynasty, reconciled under Queen Anne, but recognized 
only as a private member of the Church of England, 
with a pension of two hundred pounds per year. His 
fourteen years of trial were then followed by a season 
of comparative comfort, until his peaceful end. He 
himself compared his career to that of another dis- 
placed bishop of old, Gregory of Nazianzus, and pos- 
terity has approved his comparison. They were much 
alike, both in gifts and experiences. 

Bishop Ken wrote many hymns. It was his earn- 
est desire that the saints of God might continue to 
praise God in words of his own composing, and his 
desire has been remarkably fulfilled. 

Only two of his songs are in common use, but they 
are very widely sung, and the doxology in long meter 
which was appended to his ‘‘Evening Hymn’’ is sung 
by more Christians the world over than any other 
single English verse in existence. 

The ‘‘Anglican Hymnology’’ ranks his ‘‘Evening 
Hymn’’ with the four masterpieces of English praise 
—the others being ‘‘Rock of Ages,’’ by Toplady, and 
‘“Hark! the herald angels sing’’ and ‘‘Lo! He comes 
with clouds descending,’’ both by Wesley, the last 
having been altered by him from the original by 
Cennick. 

His ‘‘Evening Hymn’’ is as follows: 


96 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘“‘Glory to thee, my God, this night, 
For all the blessings of the light; 
Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings! 
Beneath thine own almighty wings. 


“Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son, 
The ill which I this day have done; 
That with the world, myself, and thee, 
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be. 


‘‘Teach me to live that I may dread 
The grave as little as my bed: 
Teach me to die, that so I may 
Rise glorious at the judgment day. 


“‘Oh, let my soul on thee repose, 
And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close! 
Sleep, which shall me more vigorous make 
To serve my God when I awake. 


‘Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; 
Praise him, all creatures here below; 
Praise him above, ye heavenly host; 
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! 


Bishop Ken’s ‘‘Morning Hymn”’ begins 


‘‘Awake, my soul, and with the sun 
Thy daily stage of duty run; 
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise 
To pay thy morning sacrifice.”’ 


Some things are to be noted with regard to this 
first great Christian singer in the English tongue— 
most particularly this, that the burden of his song is 
gratitude. His two hymns have gone echoing down 
the ages because they are so charged with this impor- 
tant element of the true hymn. No one has since 
succeeded in compressing into four short lines so full 
a measure as we find in his doxology. We will also 


Hymns of the First Period. I 97 


observe the reflex of the age, of his own trials and his 
own heroism, in such lines as 


‘‘Teach me to live that I may dread 
The grave as little as my bed.”’ 


And these from his ‘‘ Morning Hymn,’’ 


“Direct, control, suggest, this day, 
All I design, or do, or say; 
That all my powers, with all their might, 
In thy sole glory may unite. 


JOSEPH ADDISON.—1672-1719 


The reputation of Addison rests with the general 
student upon his literary work. He is known, in 
connection with his coadjutor, Sir Richard Steele, as 
the publisher of the ‘‘Spectator,’’ and his essays are 
still ranked as models of English prose. But Addi- 
son was more than a mere J/:tterateur.. He was a 
devout Christian as well. His dying remark to the 
Earl of Warwick is often quoted, ‘‘See in what peace 
a Christian can die.’’ Addison was born in Wilt- 
shire. His father, then rector at Milston, was soon 
after made Dean of Lichfield. His mother was sister 
of the Bishop of Bristol. So Addison grew up in the 
atmosphere of the English establishment, with an 
inherited attachment to Episcopacy and aristocracy. 
He married a countess, Charlotte of Warwick, and so 
passed his life among dignitaries of church and state, 
filling one government office after another until he 
became assistant secretary of state—a_ high-bred, 
accomplished, Christian gentleman, adorning every 
position he held and leaving behind him a legacy of 
refined thought seldom surpassed. 


98 The History and Use of Hymns 


Five of his hymns are in common use to-day, chief 
of which is his ‘‘Creation,’’ so called because sung to 
a selection from Haydn’s great oratorio of that name: 


‘‘The spacious firmament on high, 
With all the blue ethereal sky, 
And spangléd heavens, a shining frame, 
Their great Original proclaim; 
The unwearied sun, from day to day, 
Does his Creator’s power display, 
And publishes to every land 
The work of an almighty hand. 


**Soon as the evening shades prevail 
The moon takes up the wondrous tale; 
And nightly, to the listening earth, 
Repeats the story of her birth; 

While all the stars that round her burn, 
And all the planets in their turn, 
Confirm the tidings as they roll, 
And spread the truth from pole to pole. 


‘‘What though in solemn silence, all 
Move round the dark terrestrial ball— 
What though no real voice nor sound 
Amid their radiant orbs be found— 
In reason’s ear they all rejoice, 

And utter forth a glorious voice, 
Forever singing as they shine— 
‘The hand that made us is divine.’ ”’ 


His other hymns are almost equally popular. That 
beginning 
‘‘When all thy mercies, O my God, 
My rising soul surveys,”’ 


is a great favorite in many congregations. One is 
known as the ‘‘Traveler’s Hymn.’’ It was pub- 
lished in the ‘‘Spectator,’’ after a stormy voyage 


Hymns of the First Pertod. I 99 


upon the Mediterranean, in connection with an essay 
upon ‘‘The Sea.’’ It begins 


““How are thy servants blest, O Lord! 
How sure is their defense.’’ 


The remaining hymns are those whose first lines read 
‘‘The Lord my pasture shall prepare!’’ 

and 
**When rising from the bed of death.” 

It is very unusual to find one in whose life bless- 
ings abounded so peculiarly sensitive to the goodness 
and care of God as Addison. In the essay in which 
he introduces his hymn on the mercies of God he 
says, ‘‘If gratitude is due from man to man, how 
much more from man to his Maker. The Supreme 
Being does not only confer upon us those bounties 
which proceed more immediately from his hand, but 
even those benefits which are conveyed to us by 
others. Any blessing which we enjoy, by what 
means soever derived, is the gift of him who is the 
great Author of good and the Father of Mercies.’’ 


ISAAC WATTS.—1674-1748 


Watts and Wesley divide the first honors in Eng- 
lish hymnody. Their names are always coupled 
together and placed at the head of all the writers of 
sacred song. A comparison of their respective pro- 
ductions is reserved for its proper place, but thus 
much is necessary in our introduction to the celebrated 
character whom we now consider. 

Watts is called the ‘‘ Father of English Hymnody,’’ 
not because he was the first to write hymns, for as 


100 The History and Use of Hymns 


we have seen he had his predecessors, but because 
he gave a distinct impetus to the work and estab- 
lished its place in the worship of the Protestant 
Church. He also so far surpassed those who had 
gone before him, both in the extent and quality of his 
productions, that he well deserves the title which has 
been accorded him. 

Isaac Watts was the son of a deacon in the Inde- 
pendent Church of Southampton. His mother was 
the child of a Huguenot refugee. When this is taken 
in connection with the history related in the preceding 
chapter we may divine the story of his infancy and 
youth. There were fourteen years of suffering for 
his parents and their children following his birth until 
1688, when William and Mary came to the throne 
and better times began. 

His father’s pastor and the officers of his church 
were persecuted for their non-conformity. His father 
passed six months in jail, his pastor with him fora 
part of the time at least, and the mother often sitting 
disconsolate on the stone steps of the prison gate with 
the infant Isaac in her arms. 

He was an invalid all his life; a puny infant, and 
only a trifle more than five feet tall as an adult. His 
studies were frequently interrupted by sickness and 
never completed as desired. He was never married. 
For many years he had no home of his own, depend- 
ing largely on the generosity of others. 

When he was twenty-three years old he undertook 
the charge of a congregation in London, where he 
continued for fourteen years. But his services were 


Se  ecte 


Hymns of the First Period. I x01 


interrupted by repeated attacks of severe illness, so 
that he was obliged to abandon the pastorate in 1712. 
He was invited to the house of Sir Thomas Abney, 
at Theobalds to recuperate, with the result that he 
remained there a welcome guest for thirty-four years, 
‘‘waiting God’s leave to die.’’ But he was not idle. 
He preached in various places, as his health permit- 
ted, and did a great deal of literary work, to the per- 
manent enrichment of the church of Christ. 

The story of Dr. Watts’ introduction to hymn- 
writing is an interesting one. He was a poet from 
childhood. He wrote rhymes for his parents’ amuse- 
ment when he was only seven years old, and was 
writing Latin verses when he was not much older. 
When he was about eighteen he undertook to criticise 
the versification of the psalms sung in his father’s 
church, when one of the officers said to him rather 
peremptorily, ‘‘Give us something which will be bet- 
ter, young man.”’ 

Watts accepted the task, wrote his first hymn, and 
heard it sung at the next evening service. This 
hymn is not generally found in our collections to-day, 
though we are bound to say we find many poorer 
ones. Its first verse is 

‘Behold the glories of the Lamb 
Amidst his Father’s throne; 


Prepare new honors for his name 
And songs before unknown.”’ 


The cordial reception of this hymn led its author 
to prepare others. He furnished one for each Sun- 
day until over two hundred had been written. These 


102 =©The History and Use of Hymns 


were gathered together and published, and the first 
Watts’ Hymn-Book appeared. 

Watts’ monumental work was his versification of 
the Psalms. It occupied his attention for several 
years, the several portions being published as pre- 
pared, until the entire task was completed. The 


peculiar feature of his version is the New Testament — 


flavor which he gives to the Old Testament poetry. 
While the translation is rendered with great fidelity, 
it is fidelity to the spirit rather than to the form, and 
the terms employed are those of the Gospel age. He 
himself said, ‘‘I have expressed as I may suppose 
David would have done had he lived in the days of 
Christianity.’’ Thus his seventy-second psalm 
begins: 
‘Jesus shall reign where’er the sun 
Does his successive journeys run’’; 


and his nineteenth psalm closes: 


‘‘Nor shall thy spreading Gospel rest 
Till through the world thy truth has run, 
Till Christ has all the nations blessed 
That see the light or feel the sun.’’ 


For this reason many treat these poems simply as 
hymns, forgetting their Davidic origin; many reject 
them because they are not sufficiently literal to suit 
their theories, but it still remains that Watts’ version 
of the Psalms is considered incomparably the best in 
existence. 

By common consent Watts’ greatest hymn is ‘‘The 
Wondrous Cross.’’ 





ee ee see 


Hymns of the First Period. I 103 


“‘When I survey the wondrous cross, 
On which the Prince of glory died, 
My richest gain I count but loss, 
And pour contempt on all my pride. 


*‘Forbid it, Lord! that I should boast, 
Save in the death of Christ, my God; 
All the vain things that charm me most, 
I sacrifice them to his blood. 


*‘See, from his head, his hands, his feet, 
Sorrow and love flow mingled down; 

Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, 
Or thorns compose so rich a crown? 


*‘His dying crimson, like a robe, 
Spreads o’er his body on the tree; 
Then I am dead to all the globe, 
And all the globe is dead to me. 


‘“Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small; 
Love so amazing, so divine, 

Demands my soul, my life, my all.’’ 
This is also, in the writer’s judgment, the finest hymn 
in the English language. Its place is disputed only 
by Toplady’s ‘‘Rock of Ages.’’ Though it is not 
ranked with the Great Four of ‘‘Anglican Hymnol- 
ogy,’’ its position is not dependent upon a single 
authority. The best literary critics and the usage of 
worshiping congregations determine its place. If any 
one would know its claim, let him simply observe how 
often it is announced in public worship. There is no 
temptation to analyze it, to dissect its lines, and point 
out its particular beauties. Let the devout reader 
simply dwell upon its subject, its description, its 
imaginative quality, its absolute self-surrender. Then 
let him sing it from his own responsive heart. 


104 The History and Use of Hymns 


We will not undertake to catalogue all the hymns 
of Watts—it is too great a task. Let the reader find 
them in any hymn-book. A few among the finest are: 


“Before Jehovah’s awful throne.”’ 
“‘Great God, how infinite art thou.”’ 
‘*The heavens declare thy glory Lord.”’ 

‘‘My God, how endless is thy love.”’ 
“‘Come let us join our cheerful songs.’’ 
‘‘There is a land of pure delight.’’ 
“Our God! our help in ages past.’’ 


Watts was a pronounced Calvinist. For this rea- 
son some of his hymns are omitted from present-day 
collections. But it is well to give an example as 
indicative of the age in which he lived, when doctrine 
was particularly emphasized: 


“‘Keep silence all created things, 
And wait your Maker’s nod; 
My soul stands trembling while she sings 
The honors of her God. 


‘Life, death, and hell, and world’s unknown 
Hang on his firm decree; ; 
He sits on no precarious throne, ~ 
Nor borrows leave to be. 


‘*Chained to his throne a volume lies 
With all the fates of men, 
? With every angel’s form and size 
Drawn by the eternal pen. 


‘*His providence unfolds the book 
And makes his counsels shine, 
Each opening leaf and every stroke 
Fulfils some deep design. 


re EEO 


—ooOoOo 


————— 


Hymns of the First Period. I 105 


‘‘Here he exalts neglected worms 
To scepters and a crown; 
Anon the following page he turns 
And treads the monarch down. 


**Not Gabriel asks the reason why, 
Nor God the reason gives, 
Nor dares the favorite angel pry 
Between the folded leaves. 


**My God, I would not long to see 
My fate with curious eyes, 
What gloomy lines are writ for me 
Or what bright scenes shall rise; 


“In thy fair book of life and grace 
O may I find my name 
Recorded in some humble place 
Beneath my Lord, the Lamb.”’ 


Whatever may be thought of the theology of this 
poem, or of its claims to suitable hymnic qualities, it 
must be admitted that many of its features are incom- 
parably fine. What can surpass the reference to the 
throne of Jehovah in the second stanza or the lines 
concerning the ‘‘favorite angel’’ in the sixth? And 
how the exaltation of the providence of God must 
have stirred the souls of Watts’ contemporaries, who 
had seen monarchs ‘‘trodden down’’ and ‘‘neglected 
worms exalted’’ to sovereignty! 

Another hymn of Watts’, now generally omitted 
from our collections, is also one of his finest. For 
use in a Christian burial there is nothing that equals 
it in connection with the committal service, and it 
serves to enforce a doctrine frequently ignored, if not 
even rejected. 


106 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘Unveil thy bosom, faithful tomb; 
Take this new treasure to thy trust, 
And give these sacred relics room 
Awhile to slumber in the dust. 


‘Nor pain, nor grief, nor anxious fear 
Invade thy bounds; no mortal woes 

Can reach the peaceful sleeper here, 
While angels watch the soft repose. 


“*So Jesus slept; God’s dying Son 
Passed through the grave and blest the bed; 
Rest here, blest saint, till from his throne 
The morning break, and pierce the shade. 


‘*Break from his throne, illustrious morn! 

Attend, O earth, his sovereign word! 
Restore thy trust; a glorious form 

Shall then ascend to meet the Lord.”’ 

We ought not to omit a reference to Watts’ hymns 
for children. These were written during his life at 
Abney House, and published in a volume entitled 
‘‘Divine and Moral Songs.’’ It seems strange that 
a man with no children of his own should have under- 
taken such a task, but so it was, and many a mother 
has blessed him for it. For many years his children’s 
hymns were in common use. Many of them linger 
to-day only in memory or popular quotation, as 

‘Let dogs delight to bark and bite,”’ 
and 
‘How doth the little busy bee.”’ 
But one at least remains, as sweet and acceptable 
as ever, surpassed by no cradle-song in any language: 
‘‘Hush, my dear, lie still and slumber, 
Holy angels guard thy bed, 


Heavenly blessings without number, 
Gently falling on thy head. 


——— 


Hymns of the First Period. I 107 


“‘Soft and easy is thy cradle, 
Coarse and hard thy Saviour lay 
When his birthplace was a stable 
And his softest bed was hay. 


‘*May’st thou live to know and fear him, 
Trust and love him all thy days, 
Then go dwell forever near him 
See his face and sing his praise.’’ 


While many qualities unite to make the hymns of 
Watts what they are, their most conspicuous feature 
is their profound reverence. His sense of the majesty, 
power, and holiness of God were overwhelming. To 
him Jehovah’s throne is ‘‘awful,’’ the Saviour’s cross 
‘‘wondrous,’’ his love ‘‘amazing.’’ The poet’s 
thought runs into the ‘‘ages past,’’ and forth into the 
“‘years to come,’’ while he seeks to set forth the infin- 
ity and eternity of God’s holy being. He engages 
himself with high themes, with whose transcendent 
character he is deeply impressed, and his language is 
as well adapted to their expression as anything in 
which the thought of man has been contained. And 
so his songs are still sung and every worthy collection 
contains twice as many by him as by any other author. 


CHAPTER VIII } 
HYMNS OF THE FIRST PERIOD. II 


The chronological list of the great hymn-writers of 
the First English Period is continued in this chapter. 


PHILLIP DODDRIDGE.—1702-1751 


Reverend Phillip Doddridge, D.D., was born in 
London, June 26, 1702. His grandfather had suf- 
fered persecution under the Commonwealth. His 
father was a pious layman of the Independent Church. 
His mother gave him a very careful training in Bible 
history and doctrine, and very interesting tales are 
told of her use, for this purpose, of the old Dutch 
tiles with which a portion of the wall of the family 
sitting-room was covered. Doddridge displayed in 
early youth so much talent that the Duchess of Bed- 
ford offered to educate him either at Oxford or Cam- 
bridge on condition of his becoming a clergyman in 
the English Church. This offer he declined. He 
was prepared for the ministry at a private Noncon- 
formist seminary, at Kibworth, where he became 
pastor of the church. He soon removed to Harbor- 
ough and opened an academy for the purpose of pre- 
paring young dissenting candidates for the ministry 
for their work. Here he resided for four years. In 
1729 he was invited to become pastor of the church 
at Northampton, where he continued for twenty 

108 


Hymns of the First Period. II 109 


years, preaching and teaching in the theological semi- 
nary, and where he trained nearly two hundred students. 
His health now failed; consumption set in and he 
sailed for Portugal. He arrived at Lisbon in an exhaust- 

ed condition, and soon died there, October 26, 1751. 
| Doddridge was a voluminous author, in both prose 
and poetry. The best known of his prose writings 
are his commentary on the New Testament, called 
‘‘The Family Expositor,’’ and his ‘‘Rise and Pro- 
gress of Religion in the Soul.’’ 

He is entitled to rank as one of the great English 
hymn-writers, not because he has written any single 
hymn of the highest rank, but because he has written 
so many that have endured the test of time and are 
still eminently acceptable to the worshiping church. 
While he never rises to the heights which Watts and 
Wesley attain, he never falls below a certain level. 
He is remarkably even, in all the qualities of a good 
hymn. For this reason we cannot select one or two 
hymns of Doddridge and say ‘‘These are his best.’’ 
There are at least fifteen between which we find it 
impossible to choose. The following will perhaps 
furnish as good an illustration as any of his spirit 
and style: 

‘Jesus! I love thy charming name, 
*Tis music to mine ear; 


Fain would I sound it out so loud 
That earth and heaven should hear. 


**Yes! thou art precious to my soul, 
My transport and my trust; 
Jewels, to thee, are gaudy toys, 
And gold is sordid dust. 


110 The History and Use of Hymus 


‘All my capacious powers can wish, 
In thee doth richly meet; 
Not to mine eyes is light so dear, 
Nor friendship half so sweet. 


‘Thy grace still dwells upon my heart, 
And sheds its fragrance there; 
The noblest balm of all its wounds, 

The cordial of its care.’’ 


The student, however, will be surprised to find how 
many very familiar and oft-sung hymns must be 
assigned to Doddridge, the following among them: 
‘Now let our cheerful eyes survey.’’ 
‘‘Why will ye waste on trifling cares.’ 
‘‘Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve.’ 
“Do not I love thee, O my Lord?’’ 
“Grace,’tis a charming sound.”’ 
“‘Dear Saviour, we are thine.’’ 
“Triumphant Zion, lift thy head.’’ 
*‘O happy day that fixed my choice.” 
“Eternal source of every joy.” 


‘‘Hark the glad sound the Saviour comes.’’ 


The striking characteristic of Doddridge’s hymns 
is their scripturalness. Most of them are substantial 
paraphrases of some Bible passage. Many were 
written to be sung following his sermons and applying 
their lessons. It is easy to trace this connection in 
the hymns to which we have referred, and the student 
may often recognize and identify them by observing 
this feature. 


Hymns of the First Period. II 111 


CHARLES WESLEY.—1708-1788 


Rev. Charles Wesley, brother and associate of 
Rev. John Wesley, the distinguished founder of 
Methodism, divides with Isaac Watts, as we have 
already noticed, the first honors in English hymnody. 
His fame, indeed, rests almost exclusively upon his 
hymns, though he was an able prose-writer also. 
The fame of his brother John, on the other hand, rests 
almost exclusively upon his prose works, though John 
also wrote hymns. But the hymns with which John’s 
name is generally associated are translations from the 
German, such as 


‘Give to the winds thy fears,’’ 


from Paul Gerhardt; and 


‘*Jesus thy blood and righteousness,”’ 


from Count Zinzendorf. 

But the hymns of Charles Wesley are originals; 
evangelical, spiritual, immortal. 

Wesley was born at Epworth, Lincolnshire, De- 
cember 18, 1708. He was the eighteenth child and 
youngest son in a family of nineteen. His father was 
Rev. Samuel Wesley, a clergyman of the English 
Church. His mother was Susannah Annesly, daugh- 
ter of Rev. Samuel Annesly, LL. D., a learned Non- 
conformist minister in London. She was by far the 
more gifted of his parents, and to her character and 
training the remarkable career of her children is 
chiefly to be attributed. 

In 1726 Wesley was elected to Christ Church Col- 


112 = The History and Use of Hymns 


lege, Oxford, where the serious manners and severe 
methods of himself and a few friends won for them 
the title by which a great religious departure 
was soon to be known—‘‘Methodists.’’ This was 
before his older brother, John, had joined the . 
society. 

After taking his degree Wesley remained at the 
college, as tutor, until 1735, when he was persuaded 
to accompany his brother John on a mission to 
Georgia. 

Before sailing he was ordained to the English 
priesthood by Bishop Gibson of London. His voy- 
age to America was attended by many privations, so 
that his health suffered, and he was compelled to return 
to England within a year. 

It was then that a providential circumstance oc- 
curred which was destined to change the whole course 
and aspect of his own life as well as that of his broth- 
er’s. They fell in with a devout Moravian, Peter 
Bohler by name, whom Charles undertook to instruct 
in English. But the great outcome to his own heart 
was the revelation of his real spiritual condition, for 
he discovered that, priest though he was, he was with- 
out saving grace or hope. Again he was taken ill, 
but in his sickness he received the blessed sense of 
pardon through Jesus Christ. 

The week following, his brother John enjoyed a 
similar experience. This was in May, 1738. Thence- 
forth the character of their labors entirely altered, and 
Methodism, instead of being as its name implied a 
thing of mere methods, became a system of vital, 


. 


Hymns of the First Period. IT 113 


evangelical faith. The preaching of Charles at once 
became such as to incur the disapprobation of his 
bishop; the curacy of St. Mary’s, Islington, London 
—the only place which he had ever occupied in the 
Church of England—was taken from him, and he was 
denied access to any other. So, though he was 
ardently attached to the church and deeply devoted to 
her spiritual interests, he was compelled to seek a 
field of labor elsewhere. 

From 1739 to 1756 he was actively rea with 
his brother John, itinerating through Great Britain. 
But his constitution was too feeble, his spirit too 
gentle, to continue in this work, and he could not 
heartily adopt some of the measures which John so 
earnestly advocated. He therefore withdrew from 
active service and spent the balance of his life in 
retirement. In 1771 he removed to London, where 
he died, March 29, 1788. 

Wesley wrote over six thousand hymns. Many of 
these have been received by all evangelical denomi- 
nations, and are sung the world over. There can be 
no question with regard to the most acceptable of all 
Wesley’s hymns. There is one which the entire 
church, with absolute unanimity, assigns to the first 


place. 
‘Jesus! lover of my soul, 
Let me to thy bosom fly 
While the billows near me roll, 
While the tempest still is high; 
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, 
Till the storm of life is past; 
Safe into the haven guide; 
Oh, receive my soul at last! 


114 The History and Use of Hymns 


“Other refuge have I none; 

Hangs my helpless soul on thee; 
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, 

Still support and comfort me. 
All my trust on thee is stayed; 

All my help from thee I bring; 
Cover my defenseless head 

With the shadow of thy wing. 


**Thou, O Christ, art all I want; 
More than all in thee I find; 
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, 
Heal the sick, and lead the blind. 
Just and holy is thy name, 
I am all unrighteousness; 
Vile and full of sin I am, 
Thou art full of truth and grace. 


‘*Plenteous grace with thee is found, 

Grace to pardon all my sin; 

Let the healing streams abound, 
Make and keep me pure within; 

Thou of life the fountain art, 
Freely let me take of thee; 

Spring thou up within my heart, 
Rise to all eternity.”’ 

The title originally given to this hymn was ‘‘In 
Temptation’’—the author probably using the word in 
the sense of trial. It is said that Wesley wrote it 
after he and his brother had been driven from the 
place in which they were holding service by a furious 
mob. Another and very pretty story is told of the 
poet sitting by an open window when a little bird pur- 
sued by a hawk flew in and took refuge in the folds 
of his coat. These stories, however, cannot be veri- 
fied; nor does the lyr’c have need of them to enhance 
its beauty. 


Hymns of the First Period. II 115 


The tributes which it has received are many and 
emphatic. Dr. George Duffield, himself a hymn- 
writer, and author of ‘‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus,”’ 
says, ‘‘If there is anything in Christian experience of 
joy and sorrow, of affliction and prosperity, of life and 
death, that hymn is ¢4e hymn of the ages!’’ Presi- 
dent Finney sang it through the night before his death. 
The Methodist Hymn-book pronounces it ‘‘the queen 
of all the lays of holy love.’’ Dr. Louis F. Ben- 
son, in his little book, Te Best Hymns, gives it 
third place among all English hymns, ranking above 
it only Toplady’s ‘‘Rock of Ages’? and Watts’ 
‘Wondrous Cross.’’ 

And yet the place of this hymn is disputed by 
another, according to some authorities. 

“Hark! the herald angels sing 
‘Glory to the new-born King; 
Peace on earth and mercy mild, 
God and sinners reconciled!’ 
Joyful, all ye nations, rise, 

Join the triumph of the skies; 


With the angelic host proclaim, 
Christ is born in Bethlehem! 


“Christ, by highest heaven adored; 
Christ, the everlasting Lord; 
Late in time behold him come, 
Offspring of the Virgin’s womb; 
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; 
Hail the incarnate Deity, 
Pleased as man with men to dwell; 
Jesus, our Immanuel! 


‘Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace! 
Hail the Sun of Righteousness! 
Light and life to all he brings, 
Risen with healing in his wings; 


116 The History and Use of Hymns 


Mild he lays his glory by, 

Born that man no more may die; 
Born to raise the sons of earth, 
Born to give them second birth.”’ 


This, according to the Anglican Hymnology, is 
Wesley’s greatest hymn, and is named, as we have 
already noted, among the ‘‘Great Four.”’ 

Another hymn is invested with very peculiar inter- 
est from its associations, as well as from the intensity 
of its expressions. 


“‘Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing 
My dear Redeemer’s praise! 
The glories of my God and King, 

The triumphs of his grace! 


‘“My gracious Master and my God! 
Assist me to proclaim, 
To spread, through all the earth abroad, 
The honors of thy name. 


‘‘Jesus—the name that calms my fears, 
That bids my sorrows cease; 
*Tis music to my ravished ears; 
’Tis life, and health, and peace. 


“‘He breaks the power of canceled sin, 
He sets the prisoner free; 
His blood can make the foulest clean; 
His blood availed for me. 


‘Let us obey, we then shall know, 
Shall feel our sins forgiven; 
Anticipate our heaven below, 
And own that love is heaven.’’ 


Wesley entitled this hymn, ‘‘For the Anniversary 
Day of One’s Conversion.’’ No doubt it is the record 
of his own heart experiences, for it was written on the 
day indicated in its title. 


Hymns of the First Period. II 17 


One other hymn of this author should be quoted 
as illustrating the communion of saints. 
‘I know that my Redeemer lives, 
And ever prays for me; 


A token of his love he gives, 
A pledge of liberty. 


**T find him lifting up my head; 
He brings salvation near; 
His presence makes me free indeed, 
And he will soon appear. 


‘*He wills that I should holy be; 

What can withstand his will? 

The counsel of his grace in me 
He surely shall fulfill. 


‘‘Jesus, I hang upon thy word; 
I steadfastly believe 
Thou wilt return, and claim me, Lord, 
And to thyself receive.’’ 


The Wesleys were, as we have seen, pronounced 
Arminians. Their opposition to Calvinistic doctrine 
was emphatic, almost violent, and the earnest doctrinal 
controversies of their day estranged and separated them 
from friends and divided the Methodists themselves 
Into two camps. But what Calvinist could ever have 
asked a hymn more to his mind than this of the great 
Arminian. Neither Watts nor Toplady could have 
surpassed it. Surely here is evidence of the substan- 
tial agreement of the people of God even upon those 
subjects upon which they apparently disagree when 
dogmatically discussed. 

Other great hymns of Wesley begin: 


118 The History and Use of Hymns 


“Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim.” 
‘*Hail the day that sees him rise.’’ 
‘‘Our Lord is risen from the dead.”’ 
“Come thou long expected Jesus.”’ 
‘A charge to keep I have.’’ 
**Arise, my soul, arise.’’ 
‘*Sinners turn, why will ye die?”’ 
‘Love divine all love excelling.”’ 
‘‘Depth of mercy can there be.” 


‘*Soldiers of Christ arise.’’ 
The hymn beginning 
“‘Come thou Almighty King,’’ 


long associated with the name of Wesley, was cer- 
tainly not written by him. It must, apparently, go 
down the ages anonymously. 

It is not hard to discover the distinguishing charac- 
teristic of Wesley’s hymns. Beyond question it is 
loyalty to Jesus Christ as King. Perhaps for this 
very reason the ‘‘Come thou Almighty King’’ has 
been attributed to him; it is so like him. Were it 
a work of plastic art rather than of poetic, we would 
be warranted in labeling it, ‘‘Wesley, or one of 
Wesley’s pupils.’’ 

The student has but to run back over the hymns 
to which we have referred to note this prevailing fea- 
ture. And it is this feature which marks the great 
contrast with the hymns of Watts and explains why 
to some minds Wesley is greater than Watts, while 
to others Watts is greater than Wesley. Watts is so 


Hymns of the First Period. II 119 


profoundly impressed with the majesty of God that 
he appears to shrink from familiarity in his expres- 
sions of divine fellowship. We cannot imagine the 
man who wrote ‘‘Great God, how infinite art thou,’’ 
also writing ‘‘Jesus, lover of my soul.’’ 

We’ +, on the other hand, seems so intimate with 
his Re mer as to be incapable of expressing a sense 
of his awful majesty. Watts is more reverential; 
Wesley more loving. Watts is stronger; Wesley 
sweeter. Watts appeals profoundly to the intellect; 
Wesley takes hold of the heart. Watts will continue 
to sing for the Pauls and Peters of the church; Wes- 
ley for the Thomases and the Johns. Where both 
are so great it would be idle to attempt to settle their 
priority. Let us only be grateful that God in his 
gracious providence has given both to the church to 
voice the praises of various classes. 


ANNA STEELE.—1716-1778 


Miss Anna Steele is noted not only as one of the 
great hymn-writers of the first English period, but 
also as the earliest of women in this field. She was 
born at Broughton in Hampshire. Her father was a 
merchant, and also a minister. He served the Bap- 
tist Church in Broughton for sixty years and for the 
most part without pay. She united with her father’s 
church when she was fourteen years old, and lived all 
her life in the same town, quietly and without special 
experience. 

Like Watts, who lived only fifteen miles from her, 
she never married; though Watts was cruelly jilted 


120 The History and Use of Hymns 


and Miss Steele lost her lover, to whom she was 
deeply attached, by drowning. Like Watts also, her 
health was very poor, and for many years she was a 
great sufferer, so her soul found relief, as his, in 
sacred song. She has frequently been compared to 
Miss Havergal, as we shall observe under the latter’s 
name. 

Miss Steele’s most familiar and best beloved hymn 
is the following: 


“Father! whate’er of earthly bliss 
Thy sovereign will denies, 
Accepted at thy throne of grace 

Let this petition rise: 


** ‘Give me a calm, a thankful heart, 
From every murmur free; 

The blessings of thy grace impart, 
And make me live to thee. 


** ‘Let the sweet hope that thou art mine 
My life and death attend; 
Thy presence through my journey shine, 
And crown my journey’s end.’ ”’ 


We cannot determine the date of this hymn. It 
seems to have been among her first, if not the very 
first. Doubtless it contains a reference to her great 
bereavement. This hymn, however, is outranked in 
the judgment of some authors by the following: 


“Dear Refuge of my weary soul, 
On thee, when sorrows rise, 
On thee, when waves of trouble roll, 
My fainting hope relies. 


**To thee I tell each rising grief, 
For thou alone canst heal; 
Thy word can bring a sweet 1elief 
For every pain I feel. 


Hymns of the First Period. II 121 


“But oh, when gloomy doubts prevail, 
I fear to call thee mine; 
The springs of comfort seem to fail 
And all my hopes decline. 


**Yet, gracious God, where shall I flee? 
Thou art my only trust; 
And still my soul would cleave to thee, 
Though prostrate in the dust. 


‘‘Thy mercy-seat is open still, 
Here let my soul retreat, 
With humble hope attend thy will, 
And wait beneath thy feet.’’ 


Another fine hymn by this author, beginning 
‘‘Father of Mercies in Thy Word,’’ receives extended 
notice in Dr. Benson’s Studies of Familiar Hymns. 

It is a fine example of the ‘‘movement Godward’’ 
in connection with the theme, ‘“‘The Excellency of 
the Holy Scriptures.’’ 

Other hymns of Miss Steele are: 
“‘O thou whose tender mercy hears.”’ 
“‘Great God, to thee my evening song.”’ 
““My God, my Father, blissful name.’’ 
**Thou lovely source of true delight.”’ 
“The Saviour, O what endless charms.’’ 
Ta GIVES, the great Redeemer lives.”” 
‘*Thou only Sovereign of my heart.’’ 


*‘Alas! what hourly dangers rise.’’ 


The longing for the presence and power of the 
Saviour which Miss Steele expresses is truly wonder- 
ful. He is the ‘‘Refuge of her soul,’’ the ‘‘Sovereign 
of her heart,’’ the ‘‘Source of her delight,’’ her ‘‘joy,”’ 


122 The History and Use of Hymns 


and ‘‘assurance.’’ Her songs are not great poetry, 
but they are great lyrics, nevertheless. There are 
very few metaphors in her verses—they are almost 
prose creations in the form of rhyme. But there is 
such sweet simplicity in them, such artless faith, such 
serene resignation, that the church has continued to 
cherish and sing them. Her chief petition, as given 
in the first hymn quoted, may be particularly com- 
mended to the worshipers of this busy and troubled 
age, and many a soul, wearied with the multiplied 
cares and anxieties of the week-day world, will sing 
itself to rest in her lines and thank God for Anna 
Steele. 


WILLIAM WILLIAMS.—1717—-I791 
JOHN CENNICK.—1718—-1755 


These two names may well be associated in the 
student’s memory. They were kindred spirits— 
though the one was a Welshman and the other an 
Englishman. They were of the same age, adopted 
the same form of faith, and each wrote one great 
hymn. Both were identified with the Wesleys for a 
time, though with Williams the connection was not so 
intimate as with Cennick, who for a time assisted 
Wesley as a lay preacher, but finally parted from 
him on account of their doctrinal differences. Both 
were instrumental in organizing the Calvinistic 
Methodist body, which Cennick subsequently aban- 
doned for the Moravian Church. 

William Williams is called the ‘‘Sweet singer of 
Wales,’’ and the ‘‘Watts of Wales.’’ He was or- 


Hymns of the First Period. II 123 


dained a deacon in the Established Church, but 
served in this capacity only for a short time. For 
thirty-five years his life was spent in travel as a re- 
vivalist. His great hymn is 


‘‘Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, 
Pilgrim through this barren land; 
I am weak, but thou art mighty; 
Hold me with thy powerful hand; 
Bread of heaven, 
Feed me till I want no more. 


**Open thou the crystal fountain 
Whence the healing streams do flow; 
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar 
Lead me all my journey through; 
Strong Deliverer, 
Be thou still my Strength and Shield. 


‘*When I tread the verge of Jordan, 
Bid my anxious fears subside; 
Death of death! and hell’s Destruction! 
Land me safe on Canaan’s side; 
Songs of praises 
I will ever give to thee. 

This hymn was originally published in Welsh. _ It 
was translated into English by Rev. Peter Williams, 
1771. The author then accepted the English trans- 
lation, revised it, and sent it down the years as his 
own. 

Willams is generally known by but one other 
hymn, by no means the equal of this, though often 
effectively used in missionary meetings. Let us ob- 
serve in this connection that we are approaching the 
missionary period in hymnology. 

The first line of this hymn is 


“‘O’er the gloomy hills of darkness.’’ 


124 The History and Use of Hymns 


John Cennick was a more prolific hymn-writer than 
Williams. He is particularly distinguished as the 
author of one of the ‘‘Great Four’’ of the Anglican 
Hymnology. The hymn which has made him famous 
is the following: 


‘Lo, he comes, with clouds descending, 
Once for favored sinners slain; 
Thousand thousand saints attending 
Swell the triumph of his train; 
Hallelujah! 
God appears on earth to reign. 


‘*Every eye shall now behold him, 
Robed in dreadful majesty; 
Those who set at naught and sold him, 
Pierced, and nailed him to the tree, 
Deeply wailing, 
Shall the true Messiah see. 
**Yea, Amen; let all adore thee, 
High on thine eternal throne; 
Saviour, take the power and glory; 
Claim the kingdom for thine own. 
Oh, come quickly, 
Hallelujah! Come, Lord, come.’’ 


This is truly a majestic poem. It reminds us of 
the Dies re in theme and treatment. The rhyme is 
double, the description graphic, the language chaste, 
the adoration of the Saviour profound. The wonder 
is that it should have been writtten by a comparatively 
illiterate layman—a Quaker by birth, a reckless youth, 
then, after his conversion, a school teacher, a Metho- 
dist exhorter, and finally a Moravian deacon! 

The hymn above is in the form given to it by Charles 
Wesley. There are other versions of it, however; at 


Hymns of the First Period. II 125 


least twenty; which indicates its deep hold upon the 
heart of the church. 
Another well-known hymn of Cennick’s is that 
beginning 
‘Children of the heavenly King.”’ 


This is preferred by some to his more famous poem. 
The only other one in general use begins, 


‘Jesus my all to heaven is gone.”’ 


If now we place the two great hymns of Williams 
and Cennick, respectively, side by side, we will discern 
at once their great similarity, and observe why these 
men whom we have associated because of the incidents 
of their lives, may also be associated in their hymns. 

They are written in the same meter; there is simi- 
lar elevation in sentiment, and the imagery is closely 
related. Williams’ hymn recalls the experiences of 
the Israelites in the wilderness—the manna, the smit- 
ten rock, the pillar of cloud and fire, the passage of 
the Jordan, and the entrance upon the Promised Land. 
Cennick’s hymn brings before us the scenes of the 
last great day; the Saviour returning with the clouds, 
his appearance to all mankind including those that 
pierced him, the last judgment, and the cry of the 
waiting church—‘‘Come, Lord Jesus.’’ The subjects 
are very different, indeed, but the style is the same. 
These two hymns have laid the church under deep 
obligation to these two Calvinistic Methodists. 


CHAPTER IX 


HYMNS OF THE-FIRST PERIODS gE 


The chronological notice of the great English 
hymn-writers of the first period is concluded in this 
chapter. 


JOHN NEWTON.—1725-1807 
WILLIAM COWPER.—173I-—1800 


These names will be forever associated in hymnol- 
ogy, as those that bore them were in life. They were 
intimate friends for many years, dwelling under the 
same roof, engaged in the same occupations, con- 
tributing to the same great poetical composition. 
While the external features of their early experiences 
were very unlike, their intrinsic characters corre- 
sponded very closely—especially in spiritual results; 
and while the physical natures and mental states of 
the two men were totally dissimilar, their tempera- 
ments and, tastes were almost identical. For these 
’ reasons their hymns are such that some have pro- 
nounced them ‘‘indistinguishable,’’ and yet in certain 
respects they are separable as oil and water, and as 
unlike as sunshine and shadow. Both were rendered 
motherless at a very early age, Newton when he was 
seven years old, Cowper when he was six. Both in 
consequence passed a miserable, wretched youth, but 
with opposite effects: self-reliance and strength of 

126m 


Hymns of the. First Period: III 127 


character to Newton, timidity and melancholia to 
Cowper. Newton became a _ wild, disbelieving, 
blasphemer; Cowper an_ irresolute, despairing, 
would-be suicide. One was driven to Christ by 
the violence of his sins, the other by the violence of 
his sufferings. Both, therefore, needed the grace of 
God; sought it, found it, and sang of it to the ages 
following. 

John Newton was born in London. His mother 
was a pious woman who improved the few years in 
which she was spared to him in storing his mind with 
the truths of Scripture. His father was a sea-cap- 
tain, and when Newton was only eleven years old he 
went to sea with him, and thence continued to follow 
the life for eighteen years. These were years full of 
stirring adventure, narrow escapes, vacillating pur- 
poses, and ungodly recklessness. At times he seemed 
under conviction of sin and about to enter upon the 
religious life, and again he seemed wholly skeptical 
and unconcerned. He is said to have changed his 
religious professions four times before he was sixteen 
years old. He was impressed into the navy; flogged 
for deserting; engaged in the slave trade; and passed 
through many similar experiences which -cannot be 
recounted. Finally the chance discovery of a volume 
of Thomas a Kempis added to the influence of a 
godly sea-captain, led to the reconstruction of his life. 
In 1754 he left the sea forever. He was now twenty- 
nine years old; but his true life was only begun. He 
resided for the next nine years at Liverpool, fitting 
himself for such a work as the remaining portion of 


128 The History and Use of Hymns 


his life would permit; but in the good providence of 
God there yet remained fifty-three years of ‘signal use- 
fulness before him. His time was spent in hard study, 
in exercises of devotion, and occasional preaching. 
He had frequent intercourse with Whitefield, the Wes- 
leys, and other prominent leaders of the evangelical 
movement, and caught their spirit. In 1764, at the 
age of thirty-nine, he was ordained to the curacy of 
Olney, and here the most fruitful period of his life 
was passed. His physical powers were vigorous and 
his labors were abundant. Sixteen years later he 
removed to London, as rector of Saint Mary Wool- 
noth. He continued to preach almost up to the time 
of his death, declaring ‘‘Shall the old African blas- 
phemer stop while he can speak?’’ And so he passed 
to his reward; another Saul of Tarsus, we might 
almost say, or another Jacob, ‘with characteristics and 
a career reminding us of both. 

William Cowper’s father was rector of the church 
at Berkhampstead. He was a sensitive, feeble child 
upon whom were early laid burdens too heavy for him 
to bear. Not long after his mother’s death he was 
sent to Westminster school, where he was goaded 
almost to madness by the persecutions of older and 
stronger lads, ‘‘lying down,’’ as he himself writes, 
‘in horror and rising up in despair.’’ It was pro- 
phetic, alas, of his whole life! 

After leaving school he spent three years in a law- 
yer’s office, after which he was himself admitted to the 
bar. During this time he fell in love with his cousin; 
but the marriage was forbidden by her father—another 


Hymns of the First Period. III 129 


circumstance adding to all he had experienced con- 
spiring to affect his mind. 

He became subject to fits of melancholia, sinking 
at times into positive madness, until, after nine years 
of attempts to practice his profession, he became a 
sedentary invalid, dependent on his friends. Three 
times he attempted suicide, but was graciously pre- 
vented from succeeding.. Certain friends of his, 
named Unwin, residing at Huntingdon, now took him 
into their home and tenderly cared for him for two 
years, after which he removed to Olney and was for 
six years the guest of his devoted friend John New- 
ton. He left Olney in 1786 and removed to Weston. 
He died in East Dereham, April 25, 1800. 

Newton and Cowper were authors of other works 
besides their hymns. Little else that Newton wrote, 
however, is esteemed to-day. Cowper is best remem- 
bered by ‘‘John Gilpin’’—a strange composition for 
such a mind as his. 

The great work in hymnody with which the names 
of the two men are associated is the ‘‘Olney Hymns.’’ 
It was originally prepared for use in Newton’s ser- 
vices; but it has been suggested, and not without 
reason, that its real origin lay in Newton’s loving 
attempt to occupy the mind of his afflicted friend with 
pleasant, soothing subjects. It was in process of ' 
construction from 1767 to 1779, and from it are 
derived most of the pieces by which its authors are 
known. 

In the light of the foregoing history it will not be 
a difficult task to interpret the hymns of these two 


130 The History and Use of Hymns 


companions, both in their similarity and dissimilarity. 
Take the following, for example, and compare them. 
Newton wrote: 


*‘Amazing grace! how sweet the sound 
That saved a wretch like me! 
I once was lost, but now am found— 
Was blind, but now I see. 


‘** Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 
And grace my fears relieved; 
How precious did that grace appear 
The hour I first believed! 


‘‘Through many dangers, toils, and snares 
I have already come; 
’*Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, 
And grace will lead me home.”’ 


Cowper wrote: 
“‘God moves in a mysterious way 
His wonders to perform; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea, 
And rides upon the storm. 


“Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take! 
The clouds ye so much dread 
Are big with mercy, and will break 
In blessings on your head. 


‘Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, 
But trust him for his grace; 
Behind a frowning providence 
He hides a smiling face. 


‘*His purposes will ripen fast, 
Unfolding every hour; 
The bud may have a bitter taste, 
But sweet will be the flower. 


‘Blind unbelief is sure to err, 
And scan his work in vain; 
God is his own interpreter, 
And he will make it plain.’ 


Hymns of the First Period. III 131 


Might we not readily assign each to its own 
author, even though we were not informed of their 
respective origin? It is evident that Newton’s hymn 
is a reference to his own peculiar experience of sin, 
and Cowper’s to his own peculiar experience of sor- 
row. We know, indeed, what Newton had in mind, 
for he entitled this hymn ‘‘Faith’s Review and Expec- 
tation,’’ and it is said that Cowper’s was written soon 
after one of his suicidal attempts, when his mind had 
regained its balance. 

But let us compare two other hymns. Newton 
wrote: 


‘‘Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat 
Where Jesus answers prayer; 
There humbly fall before his feet, 

For none can perish there. 


*‘Thy promise is my only plea, 
With this I venture nigh: 
Thou callest burdened souls to thee, 
And such, O Lord, am I. 


‘‘Bowed down beneath a load of sin, 
By Satan sorely pressed; 
By war without and fears within, 
I come to thee for rest. 


‘Be thou my shield and hiding-place, 
That, sheltered near thy side, 
I may my fierce accuser face, 
And tell him—thou hast died. 


‘Oh wondrous Love—to bleed and die, 
To bear the cross and shame, 
That guilty sinners, such as I, 
Might plea thy gracious name!’’ 


132 The History and Use of Hymns 


Cowper wrote: 


‘‘Jesus, where’er thy people meet, 
There they behold thy mercy-seat; 
Where’er they seek thee thou art found, 
And every place is hallowed ground. 


“‘For thou, within no walls confined, 
Inhabitest the humble mind; 
Such ever bring thee where they come, 
And going, take thee to their home. 


‘‘Great Shepherd of thy chosen few, 
Thy former mercies here renew; 
Here to our waiting hearts proclaim 
The sweetness of thy saving name. 


‘‘Here may we prove the power of prayer 
To strengthen faith and sweeten care 
To teach our faint desires to rise 
And bring all heaven before our eyes.’’ 


It is from the comparison of such hymns that some 
have been led to say that their songs are ‘‘indistin- 
guishable,’’ and certainly in their superficial aspects 
these before us are very much alike. Both introduce 
the ‘‘mercy-seat’’ in the first stanza; both make use 
of similar expressions. Newton says, ‘‘where Jesus 
answers prayer;’’ Cowper says, ‘‘ Here we may prove 
the power of prayer.’’ Newton says, ‘‘None can 
perish there,’’ and Cowper, ‘‘Where’er they seek 
thee thou art found.’’ 

Yet a closer examination reveals the same charac- 
teristic differences as before. Where Newton has 
‘‘burdened souls,’’ Cowper has ‘‘waiting hearts;’’ 
where Newton has ‘‘guilty sinners,’’ Cowper has the 
‘‘chosen few.’’ To the first the mercy-seat is a 
‘‘hiding-place;’’ to the second ‘‘hallowed ground.”’ 


Hymns of the First Period. III — 133 


The one comes that he ‘‘may his fierce accuser face;’’ 
the other ‘‘to strengthen faith and sweeten care.’’ 
Similar comparisons may be made between other 
hymns noted hereafter, and the student will be much 
interested and instructed in doing so. 

While most of the hymns of these authors are on 
nearly the same level, each has one that rises consider- 
ably above that level to the dignity of a great hymn. 

Newton’s great hymn, written in all the buoyancy 
of his strong nature, is the following: 


*‘Glorious things of thee are spoken, 

Zion, city of our God! 

He, whose word cannot be broken, 
Formed thee for his own abode: 

On the Rock of Ages founded, * 
What can shake thy sure repose? 

With salvation’s walls surrounded, 
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes 


**See! the streams of living waters, 

Springing from eternal love, 

Well supply thy sons and daughters, 
And all fear of want remove: 

Who can faint, while such a river 
Ever flows their thirst to assuage?— 

Grace, which like the Lord, the Giver, 
Never fails from age to age. 


‘*Round each habitation hovering, 

See the cloud and fire appear 

For a glory and a covering, 
Showing that the Lord is near! 

Thus deriving from their banner 
Light by night and shade by day, 

Safe they feed upon the manna 
Which he gives them when they pray.’? 


*See note at end of this chapter. 


134. The History and Use of Hymns 


Cowper’s great hymn, expressive of his one only 
solace is: 


‘‘There is a fountain filled with blood, 
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins; 
And sinners plunged beneath that flood, 
Lose all their guilty stains. 


‘“‘The dying thief rejoiced to see 
That fountain in his day; 
And there may I, though vile as he, 
Wash all my sins away. 


‘‘Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood 
Shall never lose its power 
Till all the ransomed church of God 
Be saved to sin no more. 


‘‘R’er since, by faith, I saw the stream 
Thy flowing wounds supply, 
Redeeming love has been my theme, 
And shall be, till I die. 


‘‘Then in a nobler, sweeter song 
I’ll sing thy power to save, 
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue 
Lies silent in the grave.”’ 


Some literary critics have condemned the figure of 
speech contained in the first verse of this hymn; but it 
has never proved objectionable to those who looked 
beyond the figure to its deeper spiritual meaning. It 
has become precious to thousands of souls who have 
taken refuge and found the cure of their sin in that 
fountain of which the poet writes—‘‘a fountain opened 
to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jeru- 
salem for sin and for uncleanness.’’? Zech. xiii. 1. 

But may we not say that these are the greatest 
hymns of their authors because that in each the author 


Hymns of the First Period. III 135 


positively departs from his characteristic style of utter- 
ance? In fact, the authors seem to have changed 
places. Newton comes over to Cowper’s standpoint 
and Cowper comes over to Newton’s. Newton does 
not now write of the ‘‘guilty sinner,’’ but of the 
dependent, trustful child of God, following the pillar 
of cloud and fire, drinking of the smitten rock, eating 
the heavenly manna. Cowper, on the other hand, 
forgets for the time his depression and suffering, and 
is consumed with the sense of his guilt and of the 
precious cleansing blood. He is now the ‘‘vile’’ 
sinner, and magnifies above all else the Redeemer’s 
power. to save. | 

It is evident, then, that either theme is sufficient 
to inspire the noblest song, and it is not because 
Newton usually wrote upon saving grace and Cowper 
on consoling grace that neither reached thereby the 
superior height; but it is because of that additional 
impulse in which their vision was extended beyond 
the themes ordinarily discussed, and in which they 
were drawn out of their own comparatively narrow 
selves to the broader experiences of a common nature. 

Cowper is usually too introspective. His subjec- 
tiveness is intense. For this reason his hymns, useful 
as they are, should be used with some degree of cau- 
tion, and with very special regard to the occasions and 
persons to which they apply. But although Newton’s 
hymns are the more wholesome it might be justly 
inquired whether even they are not somewhat morbid. 
No doubt such expressions as ‘‘a wretch like me,”’ 
‘by Satan sorely pressed,’’ and similar ones found in 


136 The History and Use of Hymns 


his other hymns, are absolutely descriptive of every 
sinner and would be accepted by all whose evil hearts 
have been fully revealed to themselves. And yet 
very few have had such experiences of continued sin 
and conscious rebellion against God as Newton suf- 
fered, and consequently such expressions on the lips of 
many who sing them are, to say the least, extravagant. 
When, then, we come to the two hymns in which 
each author is at his best, we recognize that they have 
become such in the obliteration of self. The obtru- 
sive personality has disappeared; the authors speak for 
all their fellow-Christians and we have two great typical 
lyrics in which God’s gracious providence and God’s 
gracious redemption are set forth in lofty strains. 
Other well-known hymns by Newton begin 
‘‘How sweet the name of Jesus sounds,”’ 
which is perhaps more generally sung than the one 
which we esteem his greatest. 
“I saw One hanging on a tree.” 
“‘Come, my soul, thy suit prepare.’’ 
“‘Jesus who on his glorious throne.”’ 
*‘While with ceaseless course the sun.’’ 
‘‘Saviour visit thy plantation.” 
Other familiar hymns by Cowper are 
‘‘Far from the world, O Lord, I flee.’’ 
“The Spirit breathes upon the Word.”’ 
*O for a closer walk with God.”’ 
“Sometimes a light : surprises.”’ 
‘‘Hear what God the Lord hath spoken.”” 
“Hark my soul, it is the Lord.’’ 


Hymns of the First Period. III 137 


EDWARD PERRONET.—1726-—1792 


Edward Perronet was a Christian genius; a man 
of distinguished pedigree, of great and varied native 
gifts, learned, witty, consecrated, and influential; and 
yet, like some others of like character and for some 
inscrutable reason, his name would have passed into 
oblivion and his deeds have been recalled only by the 
casual discovery of his works in some musty alcove, 
but for the single splendid hymn of which he was the 
author. 

As his name indicates, he was of French extrac- 
tion. His great grandfather was Pasteur Perronet, 
a refugee who fled into Switzerland and ministered 
there to a Protestant Congregation. His grandfather, 
David Perronet, came from Switzerland to England. 
His father, Vincent Perronet, entered the English 
Church, and in 1728, two years after Edward’s birth, 
became vicar of Shoreham, in Kent. Vincent cor- 
dially embraced the methods of the Wesleys, and 
entered heartily into the evangelical revival, in which 
work he continued to the venerable age of ninety-two. 
His son Edward followed in his footsteps, and entered 
the English Church. But he was not indifferent to 
its defects, and his earliest work, published about 
1757, known as The Mitre, is a satire on prevailing 
ecclesiastical sentiment. 

Perronet early associated himself with the Wesleys 
and became one of their most industrious itinerants; 
but after some eight years of this work he broke with 
John Wesley at the same time as Charles Wesley. 


138 The History and Use of Hymns 


The contention was chiefly over John’s law that none 
of his ministers were to administer the sacraments, 
but were to direct their parishioners to attend for these 
purposes the regular parish churches. Perronet 
claimed that being an ordained clergyman it was his 
right and duty to do what Wesley forbade, so they 
separated. 

He still continued, however, to evangelize until his 
death. His closing years were passed at Canterbury. 
He lived in a part of the archbishop’s old palace, 
served as pastor of an Independent Church, and when 
he died was buried in the cloisters of the great 
cathedral. 

The disagreement between Perronet and Wesley 
was not a quarrel. They still continued in mutual 
affection and admiration. Yet the feeling on ques- 
tions of doctrine and order ran high, and Wesley 
would not even admit Perronet’s hymns to his collec- 
tion. 

On one occasion Wesley discovered Perronet in 
his audience, and without consulting with hiin, an- 
nounced that he would preach the next morning. 
Perronet was very loth to do this, and yet still more 
disinclined to make such a public remonstrance as 
might reflect upon his former leader. So he let the 
matter rest until the morning. He then entered the 
pulpit at the hour of service, and after explaining 
the situation to the worshipers, declared he was inade- 
quate to the task assigned him; he would therefore 
offer nothing of his own, but would nevertheless fur- 
nish them with the best sermon they had ever heard. 


Hymns of the First Period, III 139 


Whereupon he proceeded to read the Sermon on the 
Mount from beginning to end, without comment, and 
when he had completed it, he dismissed the people. 
The incident is thoroughly typical of the character of 
the two great men of whom it is related. 

Perronet published three volumes of hymns. The 
first consisted of Scripture paraphrases, the second of 
hymns proper, the third of ‘‘Occasional verses, moral 
and sacred.’’ Copies are very rare. Selections 
from these will excite a wonder that more of Perro- 
net’s hymns are not in use. Here are three charac- 
teristic verses from as many poems: 

“Hail holy, holy, holy Lord! 
Let powers immortal sing; 


Adore the coeternal Word 
And shout The Lord is King.’’ 


The next is from ‘‘The Master’s Yoke’’: 


“‘O grant me, Lord, that sweet content 
That sweetens every state; 
Which no internal fears can rent, 
Nor outward foes abate.’’ 


The last from a paraphrase of Hebrews xii. I, 2: 


‘‘Awake, my soul, arise! 
And run the heavenly race; 
Look up to Him who holds the prize 
And offers thee his grace.’’ 


Perronet’s great hymn, known from the tune to 
which it is generally sung, is ‘‘Coronation.’’ 


‘‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name! 
Let angels prostrate fall; 
Bring forth the royal diadem, 
And crown him Lord of all. 


140 The History and Use of Hymns 


“Crown him, ye morning stars of light, 
Who fixed this floating ball; 
Now hail the strength of Israel’s might, 
And crown him Lord of all. 


‘‘Crown him, ye martyrs of our God, 
Who from his altar call; 
Extol the stem of Jesse’s rod, 
And crown him Lord of all. 


““Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, 
Ye ransomed from the fall; 
Hail him who saves you by his grace, 
And crown him Lord of all. 


‘*Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget 
The wormwood and the gall, 

Go, spread your trophies at his feet, 
And crown him Lord of all, 


‘Let every kindred, every tribe, 
On this terrestrial ball, 
To him all majesty ascribe, 
And crown him Lord of all. 


“Oh, that with yonder sacred throng 
We at his feet may fall; 
We’ll join the everlasting song, 
And crown him Lord of all.’’ 


In‘ Dr. Benson’s; list/this \1s ranked 5 206m ve 
prefer to say that it ranks just as high as one desires 
to place it. It is superfine every way. It is particu- 
larly fine in its unusual scriptural allusions. These 
begin with the reference to the ‘“‘voyal diadem,’’ of 
Revelation xix. 12, and a correction of the common 
idea, borne out by the King James version, that the 
King of kings wears only ‘‘many crowns,’’ which 
others might wear besides kings, rather than the 
imperial ‘‘diadem.’’ These references are beauti- 


Hymns of the First Period. III 141 


fully continued in the ‘‘stem of Jesse’s rod,’’ ‘‘the 
wormwood and the gall,’’ and other expressions. 

There is splendid sweep in the psalm, as it con- 
templates the lordship of Jesus from the time when 
“‘the morning stars sang together’’ to the ‘‘everlast- 
ing song’’ of the New Jerusalem; though the last 
verse was added by Rev. John Rippon, in 1787. 
There is vast comprehensiveness in angels, martyrs, 
Israelites, Gentiles, every tribe and kindred and the 
heavenly throng. The rhythm is faultless, the double 
rhyme effective, and the recurring ‘‘Crown him Lord 
of all,’’ most impressive. Surely the author has 
amply vindicated the claim of the Redeemer to his 
universal lordship; time and eternity, matter and 
mind, men and angels—these comprise the ‘‘all’’ 
over which he is enthroned. 


AUGUSTUS MONTAGUE TOPLADY.—1740-1778 
V 


Rev. Augustus M. Toplady is the last of the great 
hymn-writers of the first English period. His father 
was an army officer, Major Richard Toplady. He 
died at the siege of Carthagena, while his son was yet 
an infant. His mother was a woman of fine and 
forceful character. She early removed to Ireland, 
and Toplady was in consequence graduated from 
Trinity College, Dublin. He was ordained to the 
English ministry in 1762, and_ served therein for 
about fourteen years. He then became minister of 
the Chapel of French Calvinists in London. But his 
constitution was feeble, and his energies were soon 
expended. He died at the early age of thirty-eight. 


142 The History and Use of Hymns 


Concerning no great hymn-writer and his works 
have there been such varying opinions as concerning 
Toplady and his hymns. 

The controversy seems chiefly to have grown out 
of Toplady’s very pronounced Calvinisim. He was 
certainly more emphatic in defense of this system 
than any of his associates. Though never an active 
participant in the Methodist movement, he belongs to 
the same class as Whitefield and Cennick—intent 
upon evangelism, but differing from Wesley on doc- 
trinal matters. By some it is claimed that he was 
harsh and bigoted, and his attacks upon Wesley are 
characterized as scurrilous. The Rev. Dr. Grosart, 
author of Three Centuries of Hymns, characterizes 
him as impulsive and reckless, yet concedes his genu- 
ine devoutness. Others assign to him a tender heart 
and rather gentle manners. Concerning his hymns 
Dr. Grosart admits that ‘‘Rock of Ages’’ has ‘‘given 
him a deeper and more inward place in millions of 
human hearts from generation to generation than 
almost any other hymnologist of our country, not 
excepting Charles Wesley;’’ yet, he says, ‘‘He is 
no poet or inspired singer. He climbs no heights; 
he sounds no depths; he has mere vanishing gleams 
of imaginative light; his greatness is the greatness of 
goodness; he is a fervent preacher not abard.’’ Yet 
in Benson’s list his great hymn is ranked ‘‘I.”’ 
Julian says of it, “‘No other English hymn can be 
named which has laid so broad and firm a grasp upon 
the English-speaking world.’’ Dr. Robinson declares 
it to be ‘‘the first hymn of the first rank.’’ It is as 


Hymns of the First Period. III 143 


we have already observed, one of the great quartet of 
the Anglican Hymnology. We have already given 
reasons for outranking it only by Watts’ ‘‘Wondrous 
Cross.’’ 


The following is the hymn almost exactly as Top- 
lady wrote it: 


“Rock of Ages, cleft for me! 
Let me hide myself in thee; 
Let the water and the blood, 
From thy wounded side that flowed, 
Be of sin the double cure: 
Cleanse me, from its guilt and power. 


“Not the labor of my hands 
Can fulfil the law’s demands; 
Could my zeal no respite know, 
Could my tears forever flow, 
All for sin could not atone; 
Thou must save, and thou alone. 


‘Nothing in my hand I bring, 
Simply to thy cross I cling; 
Naked, come to thee for dress; 
Helpless, look to thee for grace; 
Vile, I to the fountain fly; 
Wash me, Saviour, or I die! 


‘“While I draw this fleeting breath, 
When my eyelids close in death, 
When I soar to worlds unknown, 
See thee on thy judgment throne, 
Rock of Ages, cleft for me! 

Let me hide myself in thee.”’ 

It would be a work of supererogation to analyze 
this splendid lyric. Comment is unnecessary. One 
of the finest compliments ever paid to it was its trans- 
lation into Latin by W. E. Gladstone. The transla- 


tion itself is a splendid piece of literary work. 


144 The History and Use of Hymns 


“‘Iesus, pro me perforatus, 
Condar intra tuum latus, 
Tu per lympham profluentem, 
Tu per sanguinen tepentem, 
In peccata mi redunda, 
Tolle culpam, sordes munda. 


*‘Coram te nec iustus forem, 
Quamvis tota vi laborem, 
Nec si fide nunquam cesso, 
Fletu stillans indefesso; 
Tibi soli tantum munus; 
Salva me, Salvator unus! 


*‘Nil in manu mecum fero, 
Sed me versus crucem gero; 
Vestementa nudus oro, 
Opem debilis imploro; 
Fontem Christi quzero immundus, 
Nisi laves, moribundus. 


“Dum hos artus vita regit; 
Quando nox sepulchro tegit; 
Mortuos cum stare iubes, 
Sedens iudex inter nubes; 
Iesus, pro me perforatus, 
Condar intra tuum latus.”’ 


The Calvinism of Toplady distinctly manifests itself 
in this hymn, yet not in such a way as to be at all 
offensive to any evangelical Christian. Wesley him- 
self, as we have seen, could be even more Calvinistic 
—when he forgot himself. Yet this notice would be 
very incomplete without some reference to other 
hymns in which Toplady’s very emphatic faith ap- 
pears, the more so since for this very reason they are 
eliminated from many collections. 


Hymns of the First Period. III 145 


Here is one on 


FULL ASSURANCE 


‘‘A debtor to mercy alone; 
Of covenant mercy I sing; 
Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on, 
My person and offering to bring. 


‘The terrors of law and of God 
With me can have nothing to do; 
My Saviour’s obedience and blood 
Hide all my transgressions from view. 


‘**The work which His goodness began, 
The arm of His strength will complete; 
His promise is yea and amen, 
And never was forfeited yet. 


‘‘Things future, nor things that are now, 
Nor all things below nor above, 
Can make Him His purpose forego, 
Or sever my soul from His love. 


‘“My name from the palms of His hands 
Eternity cannot erase; 
Impressed on His heart it remains 
In marks of indelible grace. 


*‘Yes, I to the end shall endure, 
As sure as the earnest is given; 
More happy, but not more secure, 
The glorified spirits in heaven.”’ 


Another very fine hymn is being fast forgotten, 
though it still holds an honored place, and is often 
sung as one of our most acceptable anthems. 

‘‘Inspirer and Hearer of prayer, 
Thou Shepherd and Guardian of thine, 


My all to thy covenant care 
I sleeping and waking resign; 


146 The History and Use of Hymns 


If thou art my shield and my sun, 
The night is no darkness to me; 
And fast as my moments roll on 
They bring me but nearer to thee. 
“‘Thy ministering spirits descend 
And watch while thy saints are asleep, 
By day and by night they attend, 
The heirs of salvation to keep; 
Bright seraphs, despatched from thy throne, 
Fly swift to their stations assigned, 
And angels elect are sent down 
To guard the elect of mankind. 


‘Their worship no interval knows, 

Their fervor is still on the wing, 

And while they protect my repose 
They chant to the praise of my king. 

I, too, at the season ordained, 
Their chorus forever shall join, 

And love and adore without end, 
Their gracious Creator and mine.”’ 


The second stanza has been sometimes marred by 
the substitution of the word ‘‘redeemed’’ for ‘‘elect’’ 
in the last line, perhaps in the hope of softening the 
doctrine. But thereby the beautiful thought of the 
author is absolutely obliterated—the relation between 
the elect of both orders of creation, angels and men. 

Yet this is he of whom it has been written ‘‘he is 
not a bard!’’ Let his own lines answer. 
The other hymns of Toplady in use to-day, begin 
‘Surely Christ thy griefs hath borne.’’ 
‘‘Your harps ye trembling saints.” 


“If through unruffled seas.’’ 


It is a beautiful and most suggestive commentary 
on this whole period of doctrinal dispute, to the close 


Hymns of the First Pertod. III 147 


of which we have now come, that when Toplady came 
to die he specially requested that his body should be 
buried beneath the gallery, opposite the pulpit, of the 
Totenham Court Chapel. And there he was laid to 
rest, in the historic building associated with early 
Methodism, erected by Whitefield, and where Wesley 
preached Whitefield’s funeral sermon. And there all 
the bitterness of doctrinal controversy was buried 
with him. This era passes away, and—irrespective 
of literary merits, and without entering into any further 
questions of intrinsic merit—the two great songs of 
the heart, ‘‘Jesus, lover of my soul’’ and ‘‘Rock of 
Ages, cleft for me,’’ go sounding down the ages 
together; one the work of a great Arminian, the 
other the work of a great Calvinist; but both, thank 
God! above and beyond all, great Christians. Their 
echoes will never cease until they that sing them are 
all gathered into the New Jerusalem and sing the 
**Song of Moses and the Lamb.”’’ 


NoTE.—Although the expression ‘‘Rock of Ages’’ in New- 
ton’s hymn, page, 147, precedes the notice of Toplady, yet it was 
doubtless borrowed from him, for Toplady’s hymn was published 
in 1776, three years before Newton’s. 


CHAPTER X 
HYMNS OF THE SECOND PERIOD. I 


We pass now to the hymn-writers of the second 
English period, the period of evangelism and mis- 
sions. The contrast between this period and that 
which preceded it has already been indicated at length 
in Chapter V. The church has received a new vision 
and a new mission; which, whether or not they were 
greater or more important than those which were 
given her just before the opening of the first period, 
were certainly incomparably broader and _ brighter. 
At the former time her eyes were opened to her long- 
forgotten and true faith, and she was bidden to purify 
her doctrine and her life. Now she is quickened with 
the revelation of a fallen humanity and called to bestir 
herself for its redemption. Doctrine, though no less 
important than before, retires into the background 
and Christian zeal is to the front. New notes are 
struck and new songs are sung. It is the difference 
between a great army in its barracks, studying its 
tactics and perfecting its discipline, and the same 
army mobilizing for a great campaign, betaking itself 
to its tents, responding to the bugle-call, following 
the flag, and hastening into action. All this will be 
illustrated in the hymns which we proceed to review. 
So far, there have been no hymns written with a dis- 
tinctively missionary purpose, and scarcely half a 

148 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 149 


dozen which, like Watts’ ‘‘Jesus shall reign where’er 
the sun,’’ can be used in connection with missionary 
subjects; but they will now begin to appear. Among 
all the hymns we have considered there is but one in 
which the conversion of sinners is directly sought— 
Wesley’s Szuners turn; why will ye die? But 
this class will be again and again addressed in the 
period which we now enter. The change from the 
doctrinal period to the evangelistic is as distinctly 
marked as the change from Catholic hymnody to 
Protestant. 
The first great author of this period is 


BENJAMIN BEDDOME,—1717—-1795 


It will be observed that Beddome was a contempo- 
rary of the later hymn-writers of the first period, and 
that’ both Cowper and Newton outlived him; and it 
may be asked, Why, then, is he placed in the second 
period rather than the first? 

The answer is, that his hymns belong to it, and 
that for a special reason. He was a member of the 
Baptist Communion—the first to move in modern 
Protestant missions, and naturally the first to sing its 
songs. We have assumed that he was a member of 
the society organized in 1792. He must have con- 
tributed to the influences that created it. It will be 
remembered that Carey had been agitating his mis- 
sionary projects for a number of years, and Beddome’s 
heart seems to have been with him; for his fine 
missionary hymn, which was the first in English 
written for this express purpose, was published 


150 The History and Use of Hymns 


in 1787, five years before the Baptist Society was 
formed. 

Beddome was the son of a Baptist minister at 
Henley, Warwickshire. In his youth he was appren- 
ticed to a surgeon, but the cure of souls was more to 
his mind, and in 1740 he entered the ministry and 
settled at Bourton, Gloucestershire. He remained in 
the same parish until his death. This was not for 
lack of opportunity to remove elsewhere, but solely 
because of his own modesty. He was called to Lon- 
don, but replied, ‘‘I would rather honor God in a 
station much inferior to that in which he has placed 
me than intrude myself into a higher without his 
direction. ’’ 

Beddome wrote eight hundred and thirty hymns. 
Most of them were prepared, as were Doddridge’s, 
for use in his own services, in connection with his 
sermons. He published none himself. They were 
collected and edited by friends and admirers. 

His missionary hymn is the following: 


‘Ascend thy throne, Almighty King, 
And spread thy glories all abroad; 
Let thine own arm salvation bring, 
And be thou known the gracious God. 


‘‘Let millions bow before thy seat, 
Let humble mourners seek thy face, 
Bring daring rebels to thy feet, 
Subdued by thy victorious grace. 


“Oh, let the kingdoms of the world 
Become the kingdoms of the Lord! 
Let saints and angels praise thy name, 
Be thou through heaven and earth adored.” 


~ 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 151 


This hymn places Beddome among hymn-writers 
where Carey, his co-Baptist fellow, is placed among 
ministers of the Gospel, and should bring him 
similar distinction. 

Another hymn of Beddome’s should be placed 
beside it: 


‘‘Let party names no more 
The Christian world o’erspread, 
Gentile and Jew, and bond and free, 
Are one in Christ their head. 


‘‘Among the saints on earth 
Let mutual love be found; 
Heirs of the same inheritance, 
With mutual blessings crowned. 


**Thus will the church below 
Resemble that above, 
Where streams of pleasure ever flow, 
And every heart is love.’’ 

Nothing could be more indicative of the dawn of 
the new era than these two hymns, especially when 
taken together. The spirit of the one is the spirit of 
the other—brotherhood and the world for Christ. 

The evangelistic tendency also appears in Bed- 
dome’s hymns. He wrote at least two hymns of the 
kind scarcely found before in English hymnody, as 
we have observed above—hymns directed to the un- 
converted. These begin 

‘Can sinners hope for heaven?”’ 
and 
“Did Christ o’er sinners weep?’ 

Beddome is also remarkably prolific in his hymns 
to the Holy Spirit, and this should be construed in 
connection with his evangelism. 


152 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘‘Come, Holy Spirit, come 
With energy divine.”’ 


“‘Come Spirit source of light.’ 
*‘Come blessed Spirit source of light.’’ 
“**Tis God the Spirit leads.” 


He has also a fine hymn on prayer: 
‘‘Prayer is the breath of God in man.” 


Finally, his most useful, if not indeed his best, 
hymn is emphatically evangelistic, though not directly 
~addressed to the unconverted. In it the Gospel is 
beautifully and forcibly commended to those who 


need it. 
‘God, in the gospel of his Son, 
Makes his eternal counsels known: 
Where love in all its glory shines, 
And truth is drawn in fairest lines. 


‘‘Here sinners, of an humble frame, 
May taste his grace, and learn his name; 
May read, in characters of blood, 
The wisdom, power, and grace of God. 


‘*The prisoner here may break his chains; 
The weary rest from all his pains; 
The captive feel his bondage cease; 
The mourner find the way of peace. 


‘‘Here faith reveals to mortal eyes 
A brighter world beyond the skies; 
Here shines the light which guides our way 
From earth to realms of endless day. 


“‘Oh, grant us grace, Almighty Lord, 
To read and mark thy holy word, 
Its truth with meekness to receive, 
And by its holy precepts live.’ 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 153 


It will be seen from this review why we place 
Beddome among the great English hymn-writers. 
He is not usually so classed, nor can he be indeed, 
if we judge him by the superior merits of any single 
hymn. | 

But what we call greatness is not all of one kind; 
neither is a hymn-writer great only because he has 
written a great hymn; nor does he fail of being great 
because he has not done so. Beddome is great in 
that prophetic foresight, by reason of which he was 
the first to catch the spirit of the dawning era and 
give it voice in so large a variety of ways. 


JAMES MONTGOMERY.—1771-1854 


Montgomery is specially distinguished as the only 
layman, besides Cowper, among the hymn-writers of 
the first rank in English. 

He was born in Ayrshire, the section made famous 
as the native place of Robert Burns, November 4, 
1771. His father was a Moravian minister. When 
he was sixteen years old he was apprenticed to a 
grocer at Mirfield, near Wakefield, from whom he ran 
away two years later. He was already writing poetry, 
and in 1790 went to London to secure its publica- 
tion. The publisher, Mr. Harrison, refused the 
manuscript, but engaged Montgomery’s services as 
shopman, and from this time forth he was engaged in 
newspaper work. In 1792 he removed to Sheffield 
as assistant to Mr. Gales, publisher of the Sheffield 
Register, a paper of revolutionary tendencies. Gales 
was threatened with prosecution for his political utter- 


154 The History and Use of Hymns 


ances and fled to America, and Montgomery secured 
the newspaper for himself. He changed its name to 
the Sheffield Iris and continued to edit and publish it 
from July, 1794, to July, 1825. His reform prin- 
ciples, however, did not meet with the favor of the 
authorities. Soon after becoming an editor he was 
fined twenty pounds and imprisoned for three months. 
Two years later, in 1796, he was found guilty of 
sedition, fined thirty pounds, and imprisoned for six 
months. These experiences, however, only added to 
his reputation, and together with the publication of 
his poems gave him wide celebrity. He lectured in 
various places on poetry, notably at the Royal Insti- 
tution, London, and was in demand for many religious 
gatherings, particularly those of missionary organiza- 
tions and the Bible Society. In 1833 his literary 
successes and his Christian character had won uni- 
versal regard, and the government—perhaps to atone 
for its former severity—gave him an annual pension 
of two hundred pounds. So he passed on into a 
beautiful and serene old age. 

Theodore Cuyler, in his autobiography, gives an 
interesting account of his call upon the venerable poet 
in 1832. He describes him as ‘‘a short, brisk, 
cheery old man. His complexion was fresh and 
snowy hair crowned a noble forehead.’’ 

Montgomery died in his sleep, April 30, 1854. 
His fellow-townsmen of Sheffield revered his mem- 
ory, gave him a public funeral, and erected a bronze 
statue in his honor. 

Montgomery’s fame rests exclusively upon his 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 155 


hymns. His other works are scarcely known to-day, 
and never read. His hymns number about four hun- 
dred. They cover a wide variety of subjects, and 
many of them are in every good hymn-book. His 
best known and best beloved hymn is Zhe New 
Jerusalem. 


‘Jerusalem! my happy home! 
Name ever dear to me! 
When shall my labors have an end, 
In joy, and peace, in thee? 


“Oh, when, thou city of my God, 
Shall I thy courts ascend, 
Where congregations ne’er break up, 
And Sabbaths have no end? 


‘‘There happier bowers than Eden’s bloom, 
Nor sin nor sorrow know; 
Blest seats! through rude and stormy scenes 
I onward press to you. 


‘Why should I shrink at pain and woe, 
Or feel at death dismay? 
I’ve Canaan’s goodly land in view, 
And realms of endless day 


‘‘Apostles, martyrs, prophets there, 
Around my Saviour stand; 
And soon my friends in Christ below 
Will join the glorious band. 


‘Jerusalem! my happy home! 
My soul still pants for thee; 

Then shall my labors have an end, 
When I thy joys shall see.’’ 


It is perhaps apparent why this hymn has the 
popular favor beyond any other that Montgomery 
wrote. In Dr. Benson’s catalogue it is number I0. 


156 The History and Use of Hymns 


Yet it is truly surprising that it has attained such a 
rank either among its author’s compositions or among 
hymns in general. Montgomery’s finest hymn is 
probably his version of Psalm Ixxii. It is worthy of 
being quoted entire. 


*‘Hail to the Lord’s anointed, 

Great David’s greater Son! 

Hail, in the time appointed, 
His reign on earth begun! 

He comes to break oppression, 
To set the captive free, 

To take away transgression, 
And rule in equity. 


‘‘He comes with succor speedy, 

To those who suffer wrong; 

To help the poor and needy, 
And bid the weak be strong; 

To give them songs for sighing, 
Their darkness turn to light, 

Whose souls, condemned and dying, 
Were precious in his sight. 


““He shall come down like showers 

Upon the fruitful earth, 

And love, and joy, like flowers, 
Spring in his path to birth: 

Before him, on the mountains, 
Shall peace the herald go, 

And righteousness in fountains 
From hill to valley flow. 


‘‘Arabia’s desert-ranger 

To him shall bow the knee; 
The Ethiopian stranger 

His glory come to see: 
With offerings of devotion, 

Ships from the isles shall meet, 
To pour the wealth of ocean 

In tribute at his feet. 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 157 


“Kings shall fall down before him, 
And gold and incense bring; 
All nations shall adore him; 
His praise all people sing; 
For he shall have dominion 
O’er river, sea, and shore, 
Far as the eagle’s pinion 
Or dove’s light wing can soar. 


‘For him shall prayer unceasing 

And daily vows ascend; 

His kingdom still increasing, 
A kingdom without end. 

The heavenly dew shall nourish 
A seed in weakness sown, 

Whose fruit shall spread and flourish, 
And shake like Lebanon. 


‘*O’er every foe victorious, 

He on his throne shall rest; | 
From age to age more glorious, 
All-blessing and all-blessed. 

The tide of time shall never 
His covenant remove; 

His name shall stand forever, 
His great, best name of Love.’? 


This hymn was written originally as a Christmas 
ode and was sung at one of the British Moravian set- 
tlements December 25, 1821. The next April he 
attended a Wesleyan missionary meeting in Liverpool 
and at the climax of his address repeated this poem. 
It was received with great enthusiasm. Dr. Adam 
Clark, who presided, subsequently printed it in his 
Commentary, and it has since gone round the globe. 
The student will do well to compare it with other ver- 
sions of the same Psalm, particularly Watts’ /esus 
shall reign where’ er the sun. 


158 The History and Use of Hymns 


Montgomery is known by two other fine mission- 
ary hymns. His ‘‘Song of Jubilee’’ is particularly 
fine. 

‘‘Hark! the song of jubilee, 

Loud as mighty thunders roar, 
Or the fullness of the sea, 

When it breaks upon the shore; 
Hallelujah! for the Lord 

God omnipotent shall reign! 
Hallelujah! let the word 

Echo round the earth and main. 


“Hallelujah! hark, the sound, 

From the depths unto the skies, 

Wakes above, beneath, around, 
All creation’s harmonies! 

See Jehovah’s banners furled! 

- Sheathed his sword! he speaks—’tis done! 

And the kingdoms of this world 

Are the kingdoms of his Son! 


‘‘He shall reign from pole to pole, 

With illimitable sway; 

He shall reign, when like a scroll 
Yonder heavens have passed away; 

Then the end: beneath his rod 
Man’s last enemy shall fall: 

Hallelujah! Christ in God, 
God in Christ, is all in all!’’ 


This comes very near to being a hymn of the first 
rank. In its literary quality it surpasses all his other 
hymns. The rhythm, however, is defective and the 
changes too abrupt. 

His third missionary hymn is: 


“Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass.”’ 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 159 


Montgomery’s poem on prayer is a classic. 


‘“Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, 
Uttered or unexpressed; 
The motion of a hidden fire 
That trembles in the breast. 


‘‘Prayer is the burden of a sigh, 
The falling of a tear, 
The upward glancing of an eye, 
When none but God is near. 


‘‘Prayer is the simplest form of speech 
That infant lips can try; 
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach 
The Majesty on high. 


‘‘Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, 
The Christian’s native air; 
His watchword at the gates of death— 
He enters heaven with prayer. 


‘‘Prayer is the contrite sinner’s voice, 
Returning from his ways; 
While angels in their songs rejoice, 
And cry—‘Behold he prays!’ 


*‘O thou, by whom we come to God— 
The Life, the Truth, the Way— 
The path of prayer thyself hast trod; 
Lord, teach us how to pray.” 


We call this a ‘‘poem’’—it can scarcely be called 
a ‘‘hymn,’’ and is only saved to hymnody by its last 
stanza. The author himself realized this, and is said 
to have added the stanza for this purpose. 

But hymn or poem it is an exceedingly valuable 
aid to devotion and has helped multitudes to pray. 

It is an interesting fact in this connection that the 
poet’s last words on earth were used in family worship 
just before retiring. He closed the exercises with 


160 The History and Use of Hymns 


prayer, in which he seemed particularly fervent, and 
immediately went to his room. He died before morn- 
ing, and so ‘‘entered heaven with prayer.’’ 

Montgomery was urged to attempt a versification 
of the entire Psalter, but did not consider himself 
equal to the task. But such of the Psalms as he 
rendered into meter have taken high rank. They 
may well be compared with those of others. For 
example, his Psalm xxiil.: 

‘‘The Lord is my Shepherd no want shall I know’’; 


his Psalm xlii.: 
‘‘As the hart with eager looks’’; 
and his Psalm Ici.: 
‘Call Jehovah thy salvation.”’ 
His hymn beginning 


‘“‘Forever with the Lord’’ 


has been greatly admired. Julian says ‘‘it is full of 
lyric fire and deep feeling.’’ Four of its lines are 
pronounced by Dr. Cuyler as fine as anything in 
hymnody. They are: 


‘Here, in the body pent, 
Absent from thee I roam, 
Yet nightly pitch my moving tent 
A day’s march nearer home.”’ 


Other hymns by Montgomery begin: 
‘Holy, holy, holy Lord.’’ 
‘Sing we the song of those who stand.”’ 
“To thy temple we repair.”’ 
“Go to dark Gethsemane.” 


‘‘Come let us sing the song of songs.’’ 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 161 


“‘Oh! where shall rest be found?”’ 
‘‘Come to Calvary’s holy mountain.’’ 
“Work while it is to-day.’’ 
‘Sow in the morn thy seed.”’ 
‘‘According to thy gracious word.’’ 
‘‘When on Sinai’s top I see.” 


‘‘People of the living God.”’ 


Montgomery is a hymn-writer of the first rank; 
though he cannot be graded with Watts and Wesley. 
But surely few surpass him in positive usefulness. 
And after all, what better standard can we raise than 
this? What if Montgomery has written no hymn of 
the supreme quality, he has written many which 
admirably serve the purpose of devout worshipers on 
various occasions. His hymns are characterized by 
great simplicity. He has a scholar’s erudition and a 
saint’s faith united to the childlike spirit. The 
church will therefore continue to sing his songs 
through generations yet to be, and many of them will 
be as gratefully cherished in memory as those of any 
other author. 


Miss HARRIET AUBER.—1773-1825 


Miss Auber was born in London; became a com- 
municant in the Church of England; lived a quiet 
life, and died in Hertfordshire. She published one 
book of poems, entitled ‘‘The Spirit of the Psalms’’ 
(another of the same title is by a different author), 
which was at first issued anonymously. From this 
book her hymns in present use are derived. She is 


162 The History and Use of Hymns 


entitled to a place among the great hymn-writers 
chiefly because of two very fine compositions. The 
first is a missionary hymn, founded like others which 
we have noted on Psalm Ixxii.: 


“‘Hasten, Lord! the glorious time 
When, beneath Messiah’s sway, 
Every nation, every clime, 
Shall the Gospel’s call obey. 
Mightiest kings his power shall own, 
Heathen tribes his name adore; 
Satan and his host, o’erthrown, 
Bound in chains, shall hurt no more. 


**Then shall wars and tumults cease, 
Then be banished grief and pain: 
Righteousness and joy and peace 
Undisturbed shall ever reign. 
Bless we, then, our gracious Lord; 
Ever praise his glorious name; 
All his mighty acts record; 
All his wondrous love proclaim.”’ 


The other is an exquisite lyric in praise of the Holy 
Spirit, numbered ‘‘53’’ in the Anglican Hymnology: 


‘“‘Our blest Redeemer, ere he breathed 
His tender, last farewell, 
A Guide, a Comforter bequeathed, 
With us to dwell. 


‘‘Hle came in tongues of living flame, 
To teach, convince, subdue; 
All-powerful as the wind he came, 
And viewless, too. 


“‘He came, sweet influence to impart, 
A gracious, willing Guest, 
While he can find one humble heart 
Wherein to rest. 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 163 


‘And every virtue we possess, 
And ever victory won, 
And every thought of holiness, 
Is his alone. 


‘‘Spirit of purity and grace! 
Our weakness pitying see; 
Oh, make our hearts thy dwelling-place, 
And worthier thee!’’ 


Other hymns of Miss Auber are in use, but none 
equal to these. 


Mrs. VOKES.—1780-(?) 


We come next to the greatest enigma in all hym- 
nody. Here is a name distinguished by its associa- 
tion with a number of the finest missionary hymns in 
the language, and more particularly in present-day 
collections, with hymns of no other class; and yet it is 
only a name—nothing more. Noone knows anything 
about the writer, nor has it been solved whether the 
name was a true name or only a xom de plume. She 
has been traced back to the Se/ectzon of Missionary 
and Devotional Flymns, published by John Griffin, 
Portsea, 1797, in which all her hymns now known 
appear. Dr. Robinson, however, states that two of 
her hymns should be credited to a Baptist clergyman, 
Rev. B. H. Draper, of Southampton, who was born 
1775. If this assumption be true the author was only 
twenty-two years of age when his hymns were pub- 
lished by Griffin as those of Mrs. Vokes! Perhaps 
he was ‘‘Mrs. Vokes.’’ At all events, we shall assign 
the hymns according to the accepted tradition. 

There are about thirty hymns in all to which Mrs. 


164 The History and Use of Hymns 


Vokes’ name is attached; but only four in common 
use. It is not easy to discriminate, but probably the 
most popular of these hymns is the following: 


“Ye Christian heralds, go proclaim 
Salvation through Emmanuel’s name; 
To distarit chimes the tidings bear, 
And plant the Rose of Sharon there. 


“‘God shield you with a wall of fire, 
With flaming zeal your breasts inspire, 
Bid raging winds their fury cease 
And hush the tempests into peace. 


‘‘And when our labors all are o’er, 
Then we shall meet to part no more; 
Meet with the blood-bought throng to fall, 
And crown our Jesus Lord of all.”’ 


But finer than this is another: 


‘*Soon may the last glad song arise 
Through all the millions of the skies— 
That song of triumph which records 
That all the earth is now the Lord’s! 


‘Let thrones and powers and kingdoms be 
Obedient, mighty God, to thee! 
And over land and stream and main, 
Wave thou the scepter of thy reign! 


“Oh, let that glorious anthem swell, 
Let host to host the triumph tell, 
That not one rebel heart remains, 
But over all the Saviour reigns!’’ 


Her remaining hymns are: 
‘‘Sovereign of worlds, display thy power’’; 


and 
‘‘Ye messengers of Christ.’’ 


Hymns of the Second Period. I 165 


JOHN MARRIOTT.—1780—1825 


The Rev. John Marriott was a clergyman of the 
English Church, a graduate of Rugby, and of Christ 
Church, Oxford. He took high honors in college, 
and was then engaged as private tutor by the Duke 
of Buccleuch, who after two years presented him 
with the living of Church Lawford, Warwickshire. 
This he kept to the end of his life. He wrote but 
three hymns, of which only one is in use. But this 
one belongs in the first rank, and entitles him toa 
place among the great hymn-writers: 


‘Thou! whose almighty word 
Chaos and darkness heard, 
And took their flight, 
Hear us, we humbly pray, 
And, where the Gospel’s day 
Sheds not its glorious ray, 
‘Let there be light!’ 


‘Thou! who didst come to bring, 
On thy redeeming wing, 
Healing and sight, 
Health to the sick in mind, 
Sight to the inly blind— 
Oh, now to all mankind, 
‘Let there be light!’ 


‘‘Spirit of truth and love, 
Life-giving, holy Dove! 
Speed forth thy flight: 
Move o’er the waters’ face, 
Bearing the lamp of grace, 
And in earth’s darkest place, 
‘Let there be light!’ 


166 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘‘Blesséd and holy Three, 
All-glorious Trinity— 
Wisdom, Love, Might! 
Boundless as ocean’s tide, 
Rolling in fullest pride, 
Through the world, far and wide— 
‘Let there be light! ”’ 


This hymn will richly repay careful study. It is 
founded on Genesis i. 3, but with a very fine and 
suggestive reference to the three persons of the Trin- 
ity. The Father uttered the original mandate “‘Let 
there be light’’; the Son declared himself to be the 
‘‘Light of the World’’; the Spirit enlightens the soul. 
The poem is usually classed with the missionary 
hymns of the church, and very properly so. It is 
profoundly pervaded with the missionary spirit, not 
only in its separate expressions, but also in its majestic 
undertone. Its metaphors are striking—the ‘‘chaos’’ 
and ‘‘darkness’’ of creation and of heathenism; the 
‘sick in mind’’; the ‘‘lamp of grace’’; the ‘‘ocean’s 
tide’? of Wisdom, Love, and Might, and the like. 
The action is vigorous—‘‘redeeming wing’’; ‘‘speed 
forth thy flight’’; ‘‘rolling in fullest pride.’’ The 
survey and sweep are most comprehensive. Above 
all, the hymn is a broad, beautiful, and blessed evangel. 


CHAPTER XI 
HYMNS OF THE SECOND PERIOD. II 


REGINALD HEBER.—1783-1826 


With Bishop Heber we come again to a writer of 
the first rank, and to missionary hymns of the highest 
quality. In this particular class of sacred literature 
we rise with Heber to the very crest of the wave; his 
work is the climax. 

Reginald Heber, the son of Rev. Reginald Heber, 
Sr., was born at Malpas, Cheshire, April 21, 1783. 
His father was a man of wealth and learning, and the 
boy enjoyed everything that ample means and gener- 
ous culture could bestow upon him. He improved 
his opportunities. He added to rich native endow- 
ments and a genial, gentle spirit the most earnest 
devotion to the Saviour and laborious, systematic 
study. He entered Brazenose College, Oxford, at 
the age of seventeen. His first year he took the 
Chancellor’s prize for the best Latin poem. Two 
years later he took the Newdigate prize for the best 
English poem, with his Palestine. He took other 
honors in addition to these. His student days were 
a series of brilliant successes. 

After ordination to the ministry he settled at 
Hodnet, where he remained for sixteen years, during 
which period most of his hymns were composed. In 

167 


168 The History and Use of Hymns 


1822 he removed to London as the preacher of Lin- 
coln’s Inn. The next year he was made bishop of 
Calcutta, and entered upon his missionary career. 
He continued in this life only three years, but they 
were years of the holiest enthusiasm, filled with travel, 
administration, and various labors. It is worthy of 
note that he ordained the first native Hindu to‘the 
ministry—Christian David. April 3, 1826, he offi- 
ciated at an unusually exhausting confirmation service, 
in which he admitted forty-two persons to the church. 
He became overheated, retired to his apartments, 
and went at once into acold bath. He delayed so 
long that his servant was moved to enter the room 
only to find him dead. 

Bishop Heber is not the greatest of hymn-writers, 
yet he is distinguished before them all in certain 
important particulars. Let us bear this in mind as 
we proceed to an examination of his hymns and recur 
to it when we have finished. He has given us, to 
begin with, that which is by common consent of 
Christendom the most inspiring of all missionary lyrics: 

‘From Greenland’s icy mountains, 
From India’s coral strand, 
Where Afric’s sunny fountains 

Roll down their golden sand— 
From many an ancient river, 
From many a palmy plain, 


They call us to deliver 
Their land from error’s chain. 


‘‘What though the spicy breezes 

Blow soft o’er Ceylon’s isle; 

Though every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile; 


rs Se ge aan 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 169 


In vain, with lavish kindness, 
The gifts of God are strown, 

The heathen, in his blindness, 
Bows down to wood and stone! 


‘*Shall we, whose souls are lighted 

With wisdom from on high— 
Shall we, to men benighted, 

The lamp of life deny? 
Salvation, oh, salvation! 

The joyful sound proclaim, 
Till earth’s remotest nation 

Has learned Messiah’s name. 


‘‘Waft, waft, ye winds, his story, 
And you, ye waters, roll, 
Till, like a sea of glory, 
It spreads from pole to pole; 
Till o’er our ransomed nature 
The Lamb for sinners slain, 
Redeemer, King, Creator, 
In bliss returns to reign!’’ 


The story of this hymn is as wonderful as the 
hymn itself. A fac-simile of the original manuscript 
was made at Wrexham, England, and is still pre- 
served. On its fly-leaf its story is written by Thomas 
Edgworth, a solicitor of the place, as follows: 


“On Whitsunday, 1819, the late Dr. Shipley, Dean of St. 
Asaph and Vicar of Wrexham, preached a sermon in Wrexham 
Church in aid of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts. That day was also fixed upon for the commence- 
ment of the Sunday evening lectures intended to be established in 
the church, and the late Bishop of Calcutta (Heber), then rector 
of Hodnet, the Dean’s son-in-law, undertook to deliver the first 
lecture. In the course of the Saturday previous, the dean and his 
son-in-law being together in the vicarage, the former requested 
Heber to write ‘something for them to sing in the morning’; and 
he retired for that purpose from the table, where the dean and a 


170 The History and Use of Hymns 


few friends were sitting, to a distant part of the room. Ina short 
time the dean inquired, ‘What have you written?? Heber, having 
then composed the first three verses, read them over. ‘There, 
there, that will do very well,’ said the dean. ‘No, no, the sense 
is not complete,’ replied Heber. Accordingly he added the fourth 
verse, and the dean being inexorable to his repeated request of © 
‘Let me add another, oh, let me add another,’ thus completed the 
hymn, of which the annexed is a fac-simile, and which has since 
become so celebrated. It was sung the next morning, in Wrex- 
ham Church, the first time.’’ 


The tune to which the hymn is always sung was 
written by Dr. Lowell Mason. The story of the tune 
is almost equal to the story of the hymn. It is given 
in Robinson’s Axnoftations, as follows: 


‘‘The tune, ‘Missionary Hymn,’ to which this piece is univer- 
sally sung in America, was composed by Dr. Lowell Mason. The 
history of its composition is in like measure romantic; the family 
of the now deceased musician have very kindly supplied the facts. 

“It seems that a lady residing in Savannah, Georgia, had in 
some way become possessed of a copy of the words, sent to this 
country from England. This was in 1823. She was arrested by 
the beauty of the poetry and its possibilities as a hymn. But the 
meter of 7s, 6s, D. was almost new in this period; there was no 
tune which would fit the measure. She had been told of a young 
clerk in a bank, Lowell Mason by name, just a few doors away 
down the street. It was said that he had the gift for making 
beautiful songs. She sent her son to this genius in music, and in 
a half-hour’s time he returned with this composition. Like the 
hymn it voices, it was done at a stroke, but it will last through 
the ages.’’ 


This hymn was, in several particulars, a new 
departure in hymnody. It was written in a new 
meter; it was expressed in the choicest poetic terms; 
and beyond all else, it was such a trumpet-call as the 
church had never yet heard in sacred song. If we 
recall the missionary hymns which precede it we shall 


Hymns of the Second Period. IT 171 


observe that they do not press the duty or the op- 
portunity of missions upon the singing worshiper. 
There is only an approach to this in Mrs. Vokes’ 
**Ye Christian Heralds.’’ Heber’s hymn, on the con- 
trary, speaks to the deepest conscience—yet speaks 
most tenderly and persuasively. 

The diction is incomparably beautiful. The alliter- 
ations are perfectly natural; there is no strife after 
mere effect in them, and they contribute immensely 
to the flowing style—‘‘palmy plain,’’ ‘‘prospect 
pleases,’’ ‘‘gifts of God,’’ “‘lamp of life,’’ ‘‘pole to 
pole,’’ and for ‘‘sinners slain’’ are examples. Every 
line indeed is as polished and refined as it canbe. It 
is the art of the jeweler in the precious gems of lan- 
guage. 

Another fine example of Heber’s style is his 
‘*Star of the East.”’ 


“Brightest and best of the sons of the morning! 
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid; 
Star of the East, the horizon adorning, 
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid. 


**Cold on his cradle the dewdrops are shining; 
Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall; 
Angels adore him, in slumber reclining, 
Maker, and Monarch, and Saviour of all! 


‘*Say shall we yield him, in costly devotion, ° 
Odors of Edom and offerings divine? 
Gems of the mountains, and pearls of the ocean, 
Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine? 


‘*Vainly we offer each ample oblation, 
Vainly with gold would his favor secure: 
Richer, by far, is the heart’s adoration; 
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. 


172 The History and Use of Hymns 


“Brightest and best of the sons of the morning! 
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid; 
Star of the East, the horizon adorning, 
Guide where our infant Redeemer is laid.’’ 


This also was unusual meter at the time it was writ- 
ten. In its other literary qualities it is much like the 
preceding. 

We are also indebted to Bishop Heber for the 
finest of martial hymns: 


“‘The Son of God goes forth to war, 
A kingly crown to gain; 
His blood-red banner streams afar; 
Who follows in his train? 


‘‘Who best can drink his cup of woe, 
And triumph over pain, 
Who patient bears his cross below— 
He follows in his train. 


‘fA glorious band, the chosen few, 
On whom the Spirit came; 
Twelve valiant saints, their hope they knew, 
And mocked the cross and flame. 


‘*They climbed the dizzy steep to heaven 
Through peril, toil, and pain; 
O God! to us may grace be given 
To follow in their train! 


But great as are the foregoing, they are all sur- 
passed by Heber’s hymn of adoration: 


“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! 
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee; 
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty, 
God in three persons, blessed Trinity. 


“Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee, 
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea; 
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee, 
Which wert and art and evermore shalt be. 


Hymns of the Second Period. II — 173 


‘Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide thee, 
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see; 
Only thou art holy; there is none beside thee, 
Perfect in power, in love, and purity. 


“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! 
All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth and sky and sea; 
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty; 
God in three persons, blessed Trinity! 


This hymn is invariably sung to Dr. Dykes’s 
Nicea, which was written expressly for it. The tune 
takes its name from the town in Asia Minor in which 
sat the Ecumenical Council of 325 A.D., in the 
course of whose deliberations the doctrine of the 
Trinity was finally elaborated. The tune is well 
adapted to the hymn, and taken together they com- 
prise a sacred song which has never been surpassed. 

In addition to the above, special attention should 
also be directed to Heber’s beautiful children’s hymn 
beginning 

‘By cool Siloam’s shady rill.’ 


Other well-known hymns begin 


‘Lord of mercy and of might.” 
‘*Hosanna to the living Lord.” 
‘‘Bread of the world in mercy broken.’”’ 


‘*Beneath our feet and o’er our head.’’ 


After this survey it will be plain why Bishop Heber 
is not the greatest of English hymn-writers, though 
surpassing all in certain particulars. He is the great- 
est poet among the hymn-writers; he is the most ver- 
satile; he is equally effective in all varieties; but he 


174. The History and Use of Hymns 


has not the Scriptural strength of some who thereby 
outrank him. His hymn in adoration of Trinity 
approaches very near to the supreme rank for this 
reason, that it has more of the majesty of inspired 
truth in its expressions than any other. 

Nevertheless the whole story of his beautiful, 
brave, and gifted personality, including his hymns, 
promotes in those who have studied it a feeling of 
admiration akin to the warmest personal affection, 
though we have never seen his face in the flesh and 
he is to us only a historical record and an influence. 


THOMAS HASTINGS.—1784-1872 


With Thomas Hastings we note the introduction 
of several new features into hymnology. The chief of 
these are the beginning of American hymnody and the 
appearance of the Hymn and Tune Book. 

Thomas Hastings, Mus. Doc., was born in Wash- 
ington, Connecticut, October 15, 1784. His parents 
removed when he was yet a child to Clinton, New 
York, the seat of Hamilton College. The country 
was then an almost unbroken wilderness, and conse- 
quently educational advantages were meager. The 
boy, however, made the most of them, journeying six 
miles on foot every day to attend school. His musical 
talents were early manifested and cultivated. He 
was soon engaged in choir-conducting, and later, in 
1816, issued his first publication, the ‘‘Musica 
Sacra.’’ In 1832 he removed to New York, where 
the balance of his life was spent. His entire time 
was given to the elevation of sacred song. He com- 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 175 


posed music and wrote hymns; trained many choirs, 
and published a number of books. He will be best 
known and most celebrated as the author of ‘‘Top- 
lady,’’ the tune for ‘‘Rock of Ages,’’ written in 1830. 
His ‘‘Church Melodies,’’ published in 1865, was the 
forerunner of aclass of books, now greatly multiplied, 
in which tunes with the hymns adapted to them are 
printed together on the same page. An interesting. 
study is derived from the comparison of this book 
with more modern ones. | 
Hastings’ hymns are in the spirit of the age. 
Some are missionary; some evangelistic. His best 
hymn is the one entitled ‘‘Missionary Success,’’ 
1830: 
‘‘Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning! 
Joy to the lands that in darkness have lain! 


Hushed be the accents of sorrow and mourning; 
Zion in triumph begins her mild reign. 


‘‘Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning, 
Long by the prophets of Israel foretold: 
Hail to the millions from bondage returning; 
Gentile and Jew the blest vision behold. 


‘Lo! in the desert rich flowers are springing, 
Streams ever copious are gliding along; 
Loud from the mountain-tops echoes are ringing, 
Wastes rise in verdure and mingle in song. 


*“See, from all lands—from the isles of the ocean— 
Praise to Jehovah ascending on high; 
Fallen are the engines of war and commotion, 
Shouts of salvation are rending the sky.”’ 


It will be observed that this hymn is written in the 
meter which was first introduced into hymnody by 
Bishop Heber’s ‘‘Brightest and Best.’’ Both hymns 


176 The History and Use of Hymns 


are sung to ‘‘Wesley,’’ the composition of Dr. Lowell 
Mason, the friend and fellow-worker of Hastings. 

Another of his fine missionary hymns is ‘‘The 
Gospel Banner,’’ beginning 


‘‘Now be the Gospel banner 
In every land unfurled.’’ 


This does not, however, enjoy the popularity of the 
preceding. 
The following is a very sweet and persuasive evan- 
gelistic hymn: 
‘Delay not, delay not; O sinner, draw near, 
The waters of life are now flowing for thee; 


No price is demanded; the Saviour is here; 
Redemption is purchased, salvation is free. 


‘Delay not, delay not; the Spirit of grace, 
Long grieved and resisted, may take his sad flight, 
And leave thee in darkness to finish thy race, 
To sink in the gloom of eternity’s night. 


‘Delay not, delay not; the hour is at hand; 
The earth shall dissolve, and the heavens shall fade, 
The dead, small and great, in the judgment shall stand; 
What helper, then, sinner, shall lend thee his aid? 
Another of much the same character begins 


‘*Return, O wanderer, to thy home.’’ 


Other oft-sung hymns are 
‘Now, from labor and from care.’’ 
“Gently, Lord, O gently lead us.’’ 
“Go tune thy voice to sacred song.’’ 


‘‘The Saviour bids thee watch and pray.’’ 


Hastings is not of the first rank. Nevertheless 
there is a certain element in all his productions that 


Hymns of the Second Period. IIT 177 


will ever commend them to like spirits. It is particu- 
larly voiced in his ‘‘Gently, Lord, O gently.”’ 


PHBE BROWN.—1783-I1861 


This plain, unassuming woman deserves a place in 
this enumeration for the sake of her one hymn that is 
unspeakably precious to multitudes of the saints of 
God. Her life was full of unusual bitterness. She 
was born at Canaan, New York. Left an orphan at 
two years of age, she fell into the hands of a relative 
who kept the county jail. Here, according to the 
testimony of her son, she endured ‘‘such privations 
and cruel treatment and toil as it breaks my heart to 
read.’’ She never recovered from the treatment, but 
through her life was timid and retiring. She married 
a house-painter, and her subsequent history was un- 
eventful. But she reared a son, Rev. S. R. Brown, 
D.D., who became the first American missionary to 
Japan, and two grandchildren followed in the same 
mission. 

About a dozen of her hymns are found in the col- 
lections, but the one to which we have referred is the 
following: 

“T love to steal awhile away 
From every cumbering care, 


And spend the hours of setting day 
In humble, grateful prayer. 


*‘T love in solitude to shed 
The penitential tear, 
And all his promises to plead, 
Where none but God can hear. 


178 The History and Use of Hymns 


“I love to think on mercies past, 
And future good implore, 
And all my cares and sorrows cast 
On him whom I adore. 


*‘I love by faith to take a view 
Of brighter scenes in heaven; 
The prospect doth my strength renew, 
While here by tempest driven. 


‘‘Thus, when life’s toilsome day is o’er, 
May its departing ray 
Be calm as this impressive hour, 
And lead to endless day.’’ 


The story of this hymn is as pathetic as it is inter- 
esting. She was living at Ellington in a small, unfin- 
ished house, caring for four little children and a sick 
sister. In order to gain a little quiet for her own 
private devotions, she would steal out at sunset to the 
boundaries of a beautiful garden in the neighborhood 
in which stood one of the finest residences of the place. 
There, in the fragrance of the fruits and flowers, 
she rested a while and poured out her soul to God. 
The lady of the mansion observing her actions, misin- 
terpreted them, and rudely rebuked her as an intruder. 
The timid worshiper withdrew in tears, went to her 
room, and wrote ‘‘An Apology for my Twilight 
Rambles,’’ and sent it to her critic. This ‘‘apology,’’ 
slightly amended, we have in the hymn above. 

Mrs. Brown deserves special mention as the first 
of the leading American female hymnists. 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 79 


SIR ROBERT GRANT.—1785—1838 


Here is a writer of the first rank. Here also isa 
man born in the atmosphere of high political life and 
spending all his mature years in exalted official posi- 
tion, yet preserving always the fervor and simplicity 
of his faith, and known to those who come after chiefly 
through his volume of ‘‘Sacred Poems.’’ His father 
was a member of Parliament for Inverness, and a 
director of the East India Company. The son gradu- 
ated from Cambridge in 1806; practiced law for nine- 
teen years; was member of Parliament for Inverness 
for five years; became privy counselor in 1831; 
governor of Bombay in 1834; died at Dapoorie, 
Western India, 1838. 

Sir Robert wrote a number of fine hymns, among 
them three between which we find it hard to choose. 
The one which is most sung is 

“Oh, worship the King, all-glorious above 
And gratefully sing his wonderful love; 


Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of days, 
Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise. 


‘Oh, tell of his might, and sing of his grace, 
Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space; 
His chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form, 
And dark is his path on the wings of the storm. 


‘Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? 
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light, 
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, 
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain. 


‘Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, 
In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail; 
Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end! 
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”’ 


180 The History and Use of Hymns 


This hymn is great in every element. Its spiritual 
features are particularly praiseworthy. Its adoration 
of the ‘*King,4) his ‘fmight,?"\hisw: orace; cme 
‘‘care,’’ and his faithfulness to those who trust him, 
is elevated in the extreme. Its literary features are 
in keeping with the spiritual ones. The imagery is 
simply magnificent. The language is flowing, the 
measure unusually graceful, and the double rhyme— 
in the middle as well as the end of the lines—adds a 
wonderful beauty to the style. And what could be 
more suggestive and inspiring than the high use which 
is made of the majesty and might of the all-glorious 
King; namely, his tender mercies towards those “‘frail 
children of dust’’ who are introduced in the hymn in 
such striking antithesis. This hymn is twenty-three - 
in Dr. Benson’s list and thirty-two in Mr. King’s. It 
deserves a higher place. It has very few superiors, 
and the more it is studied the more will its great merit 
be disclosed. 

The second of Sir Robert’s great hymns is 

‘*Saviour, when in dust to thee 
Low we bend the adoring knee; 
When, repentant, to the skies 
Scarce we lift our weeping eyes; 
Oh, by all thy pains and woe 
Suffered once for man below, 


Bending from thy throne on high, 
Hear our solemn Litany! 


‘By thy helpless infant years, 
By thy life of want and tears, 
By thy days of sore distress 
In the savage wilderness; 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 181 


By thy dread mysterious hour 

Of the insulting tempter’s power— 
Turn, oh, turn a favoring eye; 
Hear our solemn Litany! 


‘‘By thine hour of dire despair; 
By thine agony of prayer; 
By the cross, the nail, the thorn, 
Piercing spear, and torturing scorn; 
By the gloom that vailed the skies 
O’er the dreadful sacrifice— 
Listen to our humble cry, 
Hear our solemn Litany! 


“By thy deep expiring groan; 
By thy sad sepulchral stone; 
By the vault whose dark abode 
Held in vain the rising God; 
Oh, from earth to heaven restored, 
Mighty reascended Lord! 
Listen, listen to the cry 
Of our solemn Litany!’ 


It will be observed that this is a paraphrase of the 
ancient litany, and is to be soconstrued. There is 
nothing just like this in the language as an example 
of that form of prayer in hymnody which is known as 
‘‘pleading.’’ The lyric is unique. 

The third hymn follows: 


‘When gathering clouds around I view, 
And days are dark, and friends are few, 
On him I lean, who, not in vain, 
Experienced every human pain; 

He sees my wants, allays my fears, 
And counts and treasures up my tears. 


“If aught should tempt my soul to stray 
From heavenly virtue’s narrow way— 
To fly the good I would pursue, 


182 The History and Use of Hymns 


Or do the sin I would not do— 
Still he, who felt temptation’s power, 
Shall guard me in that dangerous hour. 


‘When sorrowing o’er some stone, I bend, 
Which covers all that was a friend, 
And from his voice, his hand, his smile, 
Divides me, for a little while, 
My Saviour sees the tears I shed, 
For Jesus wept o’er Lazarus dead. 


‘‘And, oh, when I have safely passed 
Through every conflict but the last— 
Still, still unchanging, watch beside 
My painful bed—for thou hast died; 
Then point to realms of cloudless day, 
And wipe my latest tear away.”’ 


These hymns ought to be read in the light of Sir 
Robert Grant’s history. They should be carefully 
compared, also, each with the others. What a range 
they cover! What majesty and what simplicity! 
There is the same graceful expression, the same deep 
spirituality in all; but how varied the subjects of 
which they treat and the sentiments which they in- 
spire. What a treasure we have in them, yet how 
little known and how imperfectly understood. 


HENRY KIRKE WHITE.—1785-—1806 


We come now to a very remarkable character, 
whose poems find a place in every collection and are 
much admired, though it is scarcely permissible to 
call them ‘‘hymns.’’ 

Henry Kirke White was the son of a butcher in 
Nottingham, and some have been seriously disturbed 
in their theories of heredity on that account, as though 


ee es Se 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 183 


a butcher might not be possessed of superior mental 
qualities. White’s mother, however, was a gifted 
woman, and for a number of years successfully con- 
ducted a ladies’ boarding school. One of the teach- 
ers in this school started the boy on his illustrious 
career, teaching him Latin and other branches, in all 
which he made rapid progress. 

At fourteen he was apprenticed to a stocking- 
weaver, but the work was so irksome and uncongenial 
that he was soon removed to an attorney’s office. At 
fifteen he was awarded a silver medal for a translation 
of Horace, and other honors soon poured upon him. 
Following his conversion he determined to become a 
Christian minister and entered St. John’s College, 
Cambridge. Here he greatly distinguished himself 
and his life seemed full of highest promise. But he 
was taken with an illness which ran into quick con- 
sumption, and he died before completing his course 
and before he had reached his twenty-second 
birthday. 

He had already acquired such reputation that his 
untimely death was lamented on both sides of the 
ocean. Lord Byron wrote memorial verses. A 
monumental tablet was erected to his memory at 
Cambridge, a citizen of Boston, Massachusetts, bear- 
ing the expense. Southey published a sketch of his 
cites 

The reason for all this will appear on an examina- 
tion of his hymns. The best known is his ‘‘Star of 
Bethlehem’’; 


This hymn is said to be a transcript of his own 
He was very much disposed to 
skepticism, but the conversion of a former comrade 
who thereupon avoided him, so wrought upon his mind 
as to lead to his own conviction, in which he likens 


Spiritual experience. 


The History and Use of Hymns 


‘‘When, marshaled on the nightly plain, 
The glittering host bestud the sky, 
One star alone, of all the train, 
Can fix the sinner’s wandering eye. 
Hark! hark! to God the chorus breaks 
From every host, from every gem; 
But one alone the Saviour speaks— 
It is the Star of Bethlehem. 


‘‘Once on the raging seas I rode, 

The storm was loud, the night was dark, 
The ocean yawned, and rudely blowed 

The wind that tossed my foundering bark. 
Deep horror then my vitals froze; 

Death-struck, I ceased the tide to stem; 
When suddenly a star arose, 

It was the Star of Bethlehem! 


“It was my guide, my light, my all; 
It bade my dark forebodings cease, 
And through the storm and danger’s thrall 
It led me to the port of peace. 
Now safely moored, my perils o’er, 
I’ll sing, first in night’s diadem, 
For ever and for evermore, 
The Star, the Star of Bethlehem!”’ 


himself to a ‘‘foundering bark.’’ 


Another hymn of White’s which deserves notice is 


the following: 


‘‘The Lord, our God, is full of might, © 
The winds obey his will; 
He speaks, and in his heavenly height, 
The rolling sun stands still. 


Hymns of the Second Period. II 185 


‘*Rebel, ye waves, and o’er the land 
With threatening aspect roar; 
The Lord uplifts his awful hand, 
And chains you to the shore. 


“Howl, winds of night, your force combine; 
Without his high behest 
Ye shall not, in the mountain pine, 
Disturb the sparrow’s nest. 


**His voice sublime is heard afar, 
In distant peals it dies; 
He yokes the whirlwind to his car, 
And sweeps the howling skies. 


‘“Ye nations, bend—in reverence bend; 
Ye monarchs, wait his nod, 
And bid the choral song ascend 
To celebrate your God.”’ 


These are great poems, and as such worthy of all 
the praise that has been given them; but they are not 
often sung, though frequently printed, because they 
do not meet the requirements of worship. Indeed, 
they are scarcely lyrics; they have more power when 
recited than when sung. But they are sacred com- 
positions of a very high order. There is more sancti- 
fied imagination in them than in any of the works with 
which they are classed. This quality demands the 
student’s special attention. The materials of this 
imagination are most manifold—the sky, the ocean, 
the winds, the waves, the mountain pine, and the 
sparrow’s nest. Its play vibrates between the most 
terrible and the most tender of sentiments. The 
language in which it is expressed is such as very few 
writers would venture to employ even if it should 


186 The History and Use of Hymns 


occur to them, yet in the hands of this poet it is every 
way attractive. 

Such poems may well be treasured in the mem- 
ory and quoted upon occasion, even though they be 
not employed in the distinctive praise of the Most 
High. 


CHAPTER XII 
HYMNS OF THE SECOND PERIOD. III 


MIss CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT.—1789-1871 


Miss Elliott is the greatest of English female 
hymn-writers. Though she wrote no single poem 
which has attained the celebrity of Mrs. Adams’ 
‘‘Nearer my God to Thee’’—to be noted hereafter— 
the number and quality of her compositions advance 
her to the chief place. 

Miss Elliott lived to be eighty-two years of age. 
For the greater part of her life she was an invalid. 
This fact appears in the title of her principal publica- 
tion, ‘‘The Invalid’s Hymn-Book.”’ 

She was born in Brighton, England, where most 
of her life was spent, though she resided for fourteen 
years on the Continent. There are no incidents of 
special importance to record in connection with her 
career. She lived very quietly with certain members 
of her family, passing her time in religious and lit- 
erary employments. 

Miss Elliott wrote the greatest evangelistic hymn in 
the language. Not only has it never been displaced by 
subsequent compositions, but it has never been fairly 
rivaled. Notwithstanding the multiplication of simi- 
lar songs, particularly in connection with recent evan- 
gelism, this hymn continues to hold its high place; 

187 


188 The History and Use of Hymns 


and many a time, at the very climax of the revival, 
the revivalist has turned from modern ‘‘Gospel 
Songs,’’ or other expressions of the penitent soul, to 
this wonderful hymn for his supreme argument and 
invitation. 

Like other similar outbursts of emotion, this hymn 
has its history. We quote it from Robinson’s ‘‘An- 
notations’’: 


‘The story has been told over and over, and yet it will never 
appear old, of the way in which this hymn of Miss Charlotte 
Elliott came to be written. In 1822 Dr. Ceasar Malan, of 
Ge \eva, was visiting at the house of this young woman’s father. 
One evening, as they sat conversing, he asked her if she thought 
herself to be an experimental Christian. Her health was failing 
then rapidly, and she was harassed often with pain; the question 
made her petulant for the moment. She resented his searching, 
and told him that religion was a matter which she did not wish to 
discuss. Dr. Malan replied, with his usual sweetness of manner, 
that he would not pursue the subject then if it displeased her, but 
he would pray that she might ‘“‘give her heart to Christ, and 
become a useful worker for him.’’ Several days afterward the 
young lady apologized for her abrupt treatment of the minister, 
and confessed that his question and his parting remark had 
troubled her. ‘But I do not know how to find Christ,’ she said; 
‘I want you to help me.’ ‘Come to him just as you are,’ said 
Dr. Malan. He little thought that one day that simple reply 


would be repeated in song by the whole Christian world..Further ~ 


advice resulted in opening the young lady’s mind to spiritual 
light, and her life of devout activity and faith began. She pos- 
sessed literary gifts, and having assumed the charge of 7he Yearly 
Remembrancer on the death of its editor, she inserted several 
original poems (without her name) in making up her first number. 
One of the poems was “Just As I Am,’’ 1836. The words of 
pastor Malan, realized in her own experience, were, of course, 
the writer’s inspiration. Beginning thus its public history in the 
columns of an unpretending religious magazine, the little anony- 
mous hymn, with its sweet counsel to troubled minds, found its 


Se a 


ee ee 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 189 


way into devout persons’ scrap-books, then into religious circles 
and chapel assemblies, and finally into the hymnals of the Church 
universal. Some time after its publication a philanthropic lady, 
struck by its beauty and spiritual value, had it printed on a leaflet 
and sent for circulation through the cities and towns of the king- 
dom, and in connection with this an incident at an English water- 
ing-place seems to have first revealed its authorship to the world. 
Miss Elliott, being in feeble health, was staying at Torquay, in 
Devonshire, under the care of an eminent physician. One day 
the doctor, who was an earnest Christian man, placed one of those 
floating leaflets in his patient’s hands, saying he felt sure she 
would like it. The surprise and pleasure were mutual when she 
recognized her own hymn and he discovered that she was its 
author.”’ 


The following is the hymn: 


‘Just as I am, without one plea 
But that thy blood was shed for me, 
And that thou bid’st me come to thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come! 


‘Just as I am, and waiting not 
To rid my soul of one dark blot, 
To thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot, 
O Lamb of God, I come! 


‘*Just as I am, though tossed about 
With many a conflict, many a doubt, 
Fightings within, and fears without, 

O Lamb of God, I come! 


“Just as I am—thou wilt receive, 
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; 
Because thy promise I believe, 
O Lamb of God, I come! 


‘Just as I am—thy love unknown 
Hath broken every barrier down; 
Now, to be thine, yea, thine alone, 

O Lamb of God, I come!’’ 


190 The History and Use of Hymns 


Could there be anything more completely evangelical 
than this? more faithfully, or more simply expressing 
the method of saving grace? It is the very epitome 
of the Gospel. The ‘‘sacrificial Lamb of God,’’ his 
““shed blood,’’ his ‘‘promise,’’ and his ‘‘love’’ are all 
brought into sweetest and strongest association. The 
hindrances of the sinner, his guilt, doubt, conflicts, 
and procrastination are all met. The full work of 
the Saviour to welcome, forgive, sanctify, and com- 
fort is exhibited. The boundless love on the one 
side and the full surrender on the other are set forth. 
In short, it is almost marvelous that so much can be 
contained in five short verses. In addition to all this, 
the rhythm is perfect, the poetical elements genuine, 
and the lyrical qualities unsurpassed. 

We will not attempt to assign this hymn to any 
particular rank. As we have remarked in a previous 
instance, it is as high as we please to place it. 

But if Miss Elliott wrote a great hymn for the 
penitent sinner, she also wrote an almost equally 
great one for the mature saint: 


‘‘My God, my Father! while I stray 
Far from my home, in life’s rough way, 
Oh! teach me from my heart to say, 
Thy will be done. 


“If thou shouldst call me to resign 
What most I prize—it ne’er was mine: 
I only yield thee what was thine 

Thy will be done. 


“If but my fainting heart be blest 
With thy sweet Spirit for its guest, 
My God, to thee I leave the rest— 

Thy will be done. 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 191 


“‘Renew my will from day to day, 
Blend it with thine, and take away 
All now that makes it hard to say, 

Thy will be done. 


‘*Then when on earth I breathe no more 
The prayer oft mixed with tears before, 
[’ll sing upon a happier shore, 

Thy will be done.”’ 


In this hymn Miss Elliott shows her appreciation 
of the supreme elements in sanctification, just as she 
showed in the previous hymn her appreciation of the 
supreme elements in justification. 

She wrote in all about one hundred and fifty hymns 
—all of fine quality, and generally in the same pecu- 
liar meter as those above. The best known begin 


‘‘My God, is any hour so sweet.’’ 
‘‘There is a spot of consecrated ground.”’ 
“‘O Holy Saviour, Friend unseen.’’ 
*‘O Thou the contrite sinner’s friend.’’ 
‘“When human hopes all wither.’’ 


‘‘With tearful eyes I look around.”’ 


JOHN KEBLE.—1792-—1866 


At this stage in our study of Hymnology, the stu- 
dent should particularly inform himself concerning 
that significant and influential movement in the 
Church of England, which began in 1833 and prac- 
tically ended in 1846, variously known as ‘‘Pusey- 
ism,’’ ‘The Oxford Movement,’’ or ‘‘The Tractarian 
Controversy.’’ John Keble was one of the chief 
actors in this movement, and with him were asso- 


192 The History and Use of Hymns 


ciated several other hymn-writers, of whom we shall 
treat in their order. 

Keble was the son of a clergyman in Fairford, 
Gloucestershire. His father, a man of many accom- 
plishments, undertook the education of his two sons, 
John and Thomas, and they had no other teacher until 
they went to college. They entered Oxford together, 
and at once the very brilliant career of John Keble 
began. In 1806 he won a scholarship at Corpus 
Christi College, and in 1810 a Double First Class, a 
distinction never gained before except by Sir Robert 
Peel. Keble was at this time only nineteen years old. 

The next year he was made fellow of Oriel and 
also took the university prizes in Latin and in English 
composition. Strange to say, however, the future 
poet was defeated in English verse by one who 
achieved little reputation subsequently, a_ student 
named Rolleston. In 1816 he was ordained to the 
English priesthood. From 1818 to 1823 he was a 
tutor at Oriel College, then, upon the death of his 
mother he left Oxford and returned to Fairford that 
he might care for his father and two sisters. Here 
he remained, serving in a very humble capacity, a 
beautiful example of filial and fraternal devotion, 
declining several very tempting offers because he 
would not neglect his own family. In 1836, released 
from these cares, he settled at Hursley for the balance 
of his life. 

The year 1827 was made memorable by his publi- 
cation of ‘‘The Christian Year,’’ a very remarkable 
collection of poems, in which, as the title indicates, 


Hymns of the Second Pertod. Aue 193 


the author follows the church calendar, with an appro- 
priate composition for each important day in order. 
This book passed through ninety-six editions in the 
author’s lifetime, and before the copyright expired, in 
1873, almost five hundred thousand copies had been 
sold. It is a book of permanent usefulness; from it 
most of Keble’s hymns in common use have been 
derived, and it deserves a place in every Christian’s 
library. It has been said that ‘‘what the Prayer- 
book is in prose the Christian Year is in poetry, and 
it would hardly be too much to prophesy that the 
Christian Year will live as long as the Prayer-book.”’ 

It was chiefly on the reputation of this book that 
Keble was elected to the professorship of poetry at 
Oxford. Here, in 1833, he preached his famous 
‘‘ Assize Sermon,’’ which Cardinal Newman, himself 
one of parties to it, declared started the Oxford move- 
ment. 

It is not for us to enter into details. It is enough 
to remember that this movement began in the earnest 
attempt to improve the spiritual state of the church. 
The Wesleyan revival had found little sympathy 
inside its bounds and so was compelled to work out- 
side. Here was a movement which it was hoped 
would commend itself to those who desired better 
things for the church, but who would not accept 
Methodism. The other extreme was consequently 
adopted, and the result was a large and important 
perversion to the Church of Rome, in which Newman, 
Faber, and others were included. Many of their 
associates, however, shrank from the logical outcome 


194 The History and Use of Hymns 


and practical consequences of their course, and re- 
mained in the English church. Among these was 
John Keble, himself a very leader in the discussion. 

It is a noticeable fact that while the Oxford move- 
ment was ritualistic and sacramentarian to the last 
degree, its advocates were devoted Christians, and 
many emphatic evangelical features characterize their 
writings. Some of these will appear in the hymns to 
be quoted. 

In composing his ‘‘Christian Year’’ Keble fol- 
lowed the example of several predecessors, beginning 
with Bishop Ken, and introduced his poems with a 
Morning and Evening hymn. From each of these 
respectively two of his favorite songs, in common use, 
are derived. Both, however, are very seriously 
marred by the rupture of the selected verses from the 
context. This is particularly noticeable in the Even- 
ing Hymn. The Morning Hymn, as found in our 
books, is as follows: 


‘“New every morning is the love 
Our wakening and uprising prove; 
Through sleep and darkness safely brought, 
Restored to life, and power, and thought. 


‘‘New mercies, each returning day, 
Hover around us while we pray; 
New perils past, new sins forgiven, 
New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. 


“Tf, on our daily course, our mind 
Be set to hallow all we find, | 
New treasures still, of countless price, 
God will provide for sacrifice. 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 195 


‘*The trivial round, the common task, 
Will furnish all we need to ask, 
Room to deny ourselves, a road 
To bring us daily nearer God. 


“Only, O Lord, in thy dear love 
Fit us for perfect rest above; 
And help us this, and every day, 
To live more nearly as we pray.’’ 

The original poem contains sixteen verses, and not 
one waste. The first verse above is immediately pre- 
ceded by one which beautifully introduces it: 

“O timely happy, timely wise, 

Hearts that with rising morn arise! 

Eyes that the beam celestial view 

Which ever more makes all things new.”’ 
Connect, now, the ‘‘new’’ of this last line with the first 
‘‘new’’ above and how much more complete the senti- 
ment, how much more uplifting! 

In like manner between the third and fourth verses 
of the hymn as written above are a number of others 
in the original, among them this: 

‘‘We need not bid for cloistered cell, 

Our neighbor and our work farewell, 

Nor strive to wind ourselves too high 

For sinful man beneath the sky.”’ 
Then, with only a colon to break the continuity, the 
author continues: 


‘The trivial round, the common task,”’ etc. 
The verses, as known, are often quoted; in fact, they 
have become almost proverbial; but their beauty and 


suggestiveness are enhanced by reading them in con- 
nection with the other verses of the poem. 


196 The History and Use of Hymns 


Keble’s Evening Hymn, as commonly sung, is as 
follows: 


“Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear, 
It is not night if thou be near: 
O may no earthborn cloud arise 
To hide thee from thy servant’s eyes. 


‘‘When the soft dews of kindly sleep 
My wearied eyelids gently steep, 
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest 
Forever on my Saviour’s breast. 


**Abide with me from morn till eve, 
For without thee I cannot live; 
Abide with me when night is nigh, 
For without thee I dare not die. 


“If some poor wandering child of thine 
Have spurned, to-day, the voice divine, 
Now, Lord, the gracious work begin; 
Let him no more lie down in sin. 


‘Watch by the sick; enrich the poor 
With blessings from thy boundless store; 
Be every mourner’s sleep to-night, 
Like infant’s slumbers, pure and light. 


‘‘Come near and bless us when we wake, 
Ere through the world our way we take; 
Till in the ocean of thy love, 

We lose ourselves in heaven above.”’ 


This is indeed fine; and yet the force of the first 
verse is entirely broken by the omission of the verse 
preceding it in the author’s edition. Let it be read 
first and then follow it with the first verse given 
above. ; 


“**Tis gone! that bright and orbéd blaze 
Fast fading from our wistful gaze; 
Yon mantling cloud has hid from sight 
The fast faint pulse of quivering light!’’ 


— 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 197 
But 
‘Sun of my soul!’’ etc. 
Other familiar hymns of Keble are 
“‘There is a book who runs may read.”’ 
‘‘Blest are the pure in heart.’’ 


‘‘When God of old came down from heaven.’’ 


Keble’s reputation as a hymn-writer will rest 
almost exclusively on the two hymns which we have 
quoted, especially upon the Evening Hymn. Yet 
he is more of a poet than a hymnist, and it is his fine 
conception of the essential things in the religious life 
which gives his poems their high place in this class of 
literature. No better illustration of this can be given 
than to quote again his immortal expression, ‘‘SUN 
OF My SouL!”’ 


HENRY FRANCIS LYTE.—1793-1847 
This author is not only of the first rank, but by 
common consent he is the greatest hymn-writer of the 
second English period. He holds fifth place in Dr. 
Benson’s list, with only Toplady, Watts, Wesley, and 
Ken above him; but those who are named before him 

belong to the first period. | 
Further, Lyte has two hymns in Dr. Benson’s first 
ten, an honor accorded to no one else but Wesley. 
The Anglican Hymnology gives him two hymns of 
the first rank. Still further, his reputation is rapidly 
gaining, as we have seen in Chapter VI. He is full 
of the evangelistic and missionary spirit; but he is full 
of much besides. His work is worthy of all attention. 
Lyte was born at Ednam, near Kelso, in Scotland, 


198 The History and Use of Hymns 


June I, 1793. He graduated at Trinity College, 
Dublin, in 1814. Here he took the prize in English 
poetry three separate times. He was ordained in 
1815, and after serving in several places, he settled 
in Lower Brixham, Devonshire, England, in 1823, 
where he remained until his death, in 1847. 

Brixham was a community of plain people, mostly 
sailors and fishermen, who, while they were kindly 
disposed, had little culture or sympathy with the 
higher education. This told heavily upon the author’s 
spirits, and he bore in addition many severe crosses. 
His affections were betrayed, his ambitions disap- 
pointed, and his health failed at a comparatively early 
age. He sought rest and reinvigoration in travel, 
but died on his way to Rome in his fifty-fourth year, 
and was buried in Nice. His hymns are consequently 
the outgrowth of his own religious experiences. Yet 
so very delicately are they expressed, and with such 
careful veiling of the strictly personal element, that we 
might never imagine the secret of their origin. Lyte’s 
best hymn is the following: 

‘‘Jesus, I my cross have taken, 
All to leave, and follow thee; 
Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, 
Thou, from hence, my all shalt be! 
Perish, every fond ambition, 
All I’ve sought, or hoped, or known, 


Yet how rich is my condition, 
God and heaven are still my own! 


**Let the world despise and leave me, 
They have left my Saviour, too; 
Human hearts and looks deceive me— 
Thou art not, like them, untrue; 





Hymns of the Second Period. III 199 


Oh, while thou dost smile upon me, 
God of wisdom, love, and might, 

Foes may hate, and friends disown me, 
Show thy face, and all is bright. 


‘‘Man may trouble and distress me, 

’Twill but drive me to thy breast; 

Life with trials hard may press me; 
Heaven will bring me sweeter rest! 

Oh, ’tis not in grief to harm me 
While thy love is left to me; 

Oh, ’twere not in joy to charm me, 
Were that joy unmixed with thee. 


““Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! 

Come, disaster, scorn, and pain! 

In thy service pain is pleasure, 
With thy favor, loss is gain. 

I have called thee—Abba, Father! 
I have stayed my heart on thee! 

Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, 
All must work for good to me.’’ 


This noble hymn, like Miss Elliott’s ‘‘Just As I Am,’’ 
was the product of a remarkable piece of history. 
Lyte, like Wesley, was a minister before he was a 
Christian—breaking for others that Bread of Life on 
which he had not himself fed. But in 1818, when he 
was living at Marazion, in Cornwall, and three years 
after his ordination, a fellow-clergyman, who was very 
ill, sent for him to visit and counsel him. Lyte dis- 
covered that he had nothing to offer him; that the 
dying brother had a peace which he did not himself 
possess, and to which he could not add. Concerning 
the effect on his own mind, Lyte wrote: ‘‘I was 
greatly affected by the whole matter, and brought to 
look at life and its issue with a different eye than 


200 The History and Use of Hymns 


before; and I began to study my Bible and preach in 
another manner than I had previously done.’’ In 
this hymn he expresses his new-found hope. If 
Saving Faith is the ‘‘Confidence that surrenders,’’ 
how could it be better expressed? 

This hymn is scarcely inferior to ‘‘Just As I Am,”’ 
and is a worthy companion piece. Both are true to 
the Gospel, though in different aspects. Both have 
a wonderful record in their soul-saving influences. 

When Lyte found that he could no longer continue 
his work in the pastorate and prepared for his south- 
ern journey, he girded himself for a final communion 
service, although, as he afterwards wrote, he ‘‘was 
scarcely able to crawl.’’ He closed the exercises with 
a few tender words of admonition and retired to his 
rooms. Then, as the shadows of the Sabbath evening 
gathered about him, he wrote his farewell song: 

‘‘Abide with me: fast falls the eventide; 
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide! 


When other helpers fail, and comforts flee, 
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me! 


‘Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word, 
But as thou dwellst with thy disciples, Lord, 
Familiar, condescending, patient, free, 
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me. 


“I need thy presence every passing hour: 
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? 
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be? 
Through cloud and sunshine, oh, abide with me. 


‘Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; 
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away: 
Change and decay in all around I see; 

O thou, who changest not, abide with me! 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 201 


*‘Come not in terrors, as the King of kings; 
But kind and good, with healing in thy wings, 
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea; 
Come, Friend of sinners, and abide with me. 


‘‘T fear no foe, with thee at hand to bless 
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness: 
Where is Death’s sting? where, Grave, thy victory? 
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.’’ 


‘*Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes; 
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies; 
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee: 
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me! 


This hymn needs no comment; to read it is to 
interpret it; to sing it with any degree of seriousness 
is tq realize its spiritual depth, purity, and beauty. 

Lyte published a volume of versions of the Psalms, 
entitled ‘‘The Spirit of the Psalms,’’ the same in title 
as Miss Auber’s work, and as we have before noted, 
often confounded with it. Many of his hymns are 
derived from this book. His version of Psalm xlii., 
beginning 

‘‘As pants the hart for cooling streams,’’ 
certainly surpasses all others. It reminds us of some 
beginning in similar terms, notably Montgomery’s 


‘fAs the hart with eager looks.’’ 
Others from the same collection are 


‘Pleasant are thy courts above.’’ Psalm Ixxxiv. 
‘*My spirit on thy care.’? Psalm xxxi. 
**There is a safe a secret place.’”? Psalm xci. 


‘*Sing to the Lord our might.’”? Psalm lxxxi. 


202 The History and Use of Hymns 


The fine missionary spirit of this author is exhibited 
in the following hymn, founded in part on Psalm xiv. 
It is one of the very few hymns in which a petition is 
raised for the redemption of God’s ancient people. 


*‘Oh, that the Lord’s salvation 
Were out of Zion come, 
To heal his ancient nation, 
To lead his outcasts home! 
How long the holy city 
Shall heathen feet profane? 
Return, O Lord, in pity, 
Rebuild her walls again. 


‘Let fall thy rod of terror, 

Thy saving grace impart; 

Roll back the vail of error, 
Release the fettered heart; 

Let Israel, home returning, 
Their lost Messiah see; 

Give oil of joy for mourning, 
And bind thy church to thee.’’ 


When we come to inquire the secret of Lyte’s 
greatness in hymnody we find this comprehensive 
answer, his hymns fulfil all the conditions of true 
praise. They are eminently Scriptural. His mind 
was saturated with divine truth, his thoughts were 
clothed in the echoes of the words of Holy Writ. 
They are highly poetical, refined in their phraseology, 
beautiful in their imagery, deep with insight into 
spiritual realities. They are readily wedded to music 
and they are particularly rich in Christian experience. 
In no other author is poetry and religion more exquis- 
itely united. 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 203 


WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT.—1794—1878 


This great American poet is too well known to 
require a special notice. His life is a part of our 
national history. His religious views are the subject 
of some question. In later life he connected himself 
with Dr. Bellow’s church in New York City, and was 
reckoned as a Unitarian; but for more than thirty 
years he was identified with the Presbyterian Church 
of Roslyn, and habitually partook of the sacrament. 

Bryant’s name is connected with three very fine 
hymns. One of these was written for a church dedi- 
cation. It begins 


“‘O Thou, whose own vast temple stands.’’ 


Another, descriptive of human life, begins 


‘*As shadows cast by cloud and sun.”’ 


But particular attention is asked for his unexcelled 
Home Missionary hymn: 


‘‘Look from thy sphere of endless day. 
O God of mercy and of might! 
In pity look on those who stray, 
Benighted in this land of light. 


‘In peopled vale, in lonely glen, 
In crowded mart, by stream or sea, 
How many of the sons of men 
Hear not the message sent from thee! 


‘*Send forth thy heralds, Lord, to call 
The thoughtless young, the hardened old, 
A scattered, homeless flock, till all 
Be gathered to thy peaceful fold. 


204 The History and Use of Hymns 


“‘Send them thy mighty word to speak, 
Till faith shall dawn and doubt depart, 
To awe the bold, to stay the weak, 
And bind and heal the broken heart. 


‘*Then all these wastes, a dreary scene 
That makes us sadden as we gaze, 
Shall grow with living waters green, 
And lift to heaven the voice of praise.”’ 


GEORGE WASHINGTON DOANE.—1799—-1859 


Bishop Doane has written several very acceptable 
hymns, some of which are rapidly growing in popu- 
larity. Hewas born in Trenton, New Jersey, gradu- 
ated from Union College, in 1818, was ordained in 
1821. He soon became rector of Trinity Church, 
Boston, and filled the pulpit made so conspicuous by 
its succession of great sacred orators —notably Phillips 
Brooks. In 1832 he became Bishop of New Jersey. 

His best hymn was scarcely appreciated until set 
to Calkin’s spirited tune of ‘‘Waltham’’; but with 
this music it has taken high rank and is sung perhaps 
as frequently as any other missionary hymn, Bishop 
Heber’s alone excepted. 


‘Fling out the banner; let it float 
Skyward and seaward, high and wide; 
The sun, that lights its shining folds, 
The cross, on which the Saviour died. 


“Fling out the banner; angels bend 

In anxious silence o’er the sign, 
And vainly seek to comprehend 

The wonder of the Love Divine. 


‘Fling out the banner; heathen lands 
Shall see from far the glorious sight; 
And nations, crowding to be born, 
Baptize their spirits in its light. 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 205 


“Fling out the banner; sin-sick souls 
That sink and perish in the strife, 
Shall touch in faith its radiant hem, 
And spring immortal into life. 


“Fling out th2 banner; let it float 
Skyward and seaward, high and wide; 
Our glory only in the cross, 
Our only hope, the Crucified. 


‘Fling out the banner wide and high, 

Seaward and skyward let it shine; 

Nor skill nor might nor merit ours; 
We conquer only in that sign.’’ 


What can be more stirring, more ringing, than these 
triumphant notes. Surely the missionary spirit—the 
spirit of the widest evangelization, is not subsiding 
while such trumpet-tones are sounded. 

How original and striking is the reference in the 
fourth verse to the hem of the Saviour’s garment and 
the use of the ‘‘In hoc signo’’ in the last verse. 
What a fine use is made of the Scriptural truth of the 
angel’s interest in the work of redemption in the 
second verse. How unusual the conception of the 
spiritual birth of nations in ‘‘Crowding to be born.’’ 
Take it for all in all, we can only say that if this 
hymn has not been assigned to the first rank among 
the missionary hymns it is because it has been 
strangely overlooked. 

Bishop Doane’s evening hymn may also be classed 
with Bishop Ken’s and Keble’s, and is little inferior 
to them: 


206 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘Softly now the light of day 
Fades upon my sight away, 
Free from care, from labor free, 
Lord, I would commune with thee. 


“Thou, whose all-pervading eye 
Naught escapes without, within, 
Pardon each infirmity, 

Open fault, and secret sin. 


“Soon, for me, the light of day 
Shall forever pass away; 
Then, from sin and sorrow free, 
Take me, Lord, to dwell with thee. 


‘Thou who, sinless, yet hast known, 
All of man’s infirmity; 
Then from thine eternal throne, 
Jesus, look with pitying eye.”’ 


The only other hymn in common use by Bishop 
Doane is by no means the equal of the foregoing. 
‘It rather stiffly and mechanically paraphrases’’ the 
passage on which it is founded. It begins 

“‘Thou art the Way; to thee alone.” 


JOHN HENRY NEWMAN.—1801-1890 


Cardinal Newman’s name has already been men- 
tioned in connection with the Oxford Movement, in 
which he took a prominent part, and the most signifi- 
cant circumstances of his life have been noted under 
the name of John Keble. 

He was born in London, graduated from Trinity 
College, Oxford, in 1820; ordained to the English 
ministry in 1824; received into the Roman Church 
October 8, 1845; became rector of the new Roman 


Hymns of the Second Period. III 207 


Catholic University at Dublin in 1854; became a 
cardinal 1879; died in Birmingham, August I1, 
1890. His celebrated Apologia pro Vita Sua is a 
defense of his own course and conduct. He wrote 
few hymns, and is generally known only in connection 
with the hymn below: 


‘Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, 
Lead thou me on! 
The night is dark, and I am far from home; 
Lead thou me on! 
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see 
The distant scene; one step enough for me. 


*‘T was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou 
Shouldst lead me on; 
I loved to choose and see my path; but now 
Lead thou me on! . 
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, 
Pride ruled my will. Remember not past years! 


‘So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still 
Will lead me on 
O’er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till 
The night is gone, 
And with the morn those angel faces smile 
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!’’ 


We notice this hymn only because of its great 
present popularity; but it can scarcely be called either 
a great poem or a great hymn, and it certainly is not 
a lyric. The rhythm is so very rough and confused 
that it is never sung successfully by a number of per- 
sons. Yet it has certain striking passages and appeals 
to those who for any reason are beset by darkness. 
Several stories are in circulation concerning its origin, 


208 The History and Use of Hymns 


which, we fear, are apochryphal. It can only be said 
that both in sentiment and meter it well expresses the 
state of mind of its author—a man who sincerely 
desired to find the light, but whose curious mental 
processes were his own confusion. 


Ch Arik LT 
HYMNS OF THE SECOND PERIOD. IV 


SARAH FLOWER ADAMS.—1805-—1848 


This author was the daughter of Benjamin Flower, 
editor of The Cambridge Intelligencer. She married 
William Bridges Adams, a professional engineer, and 
settled in London. Here she came under the pastoral 
care of Rev. William Johnston Fox, a Unitarian min- 
ister, and founder of the Westminster Review. Her 
pastor published a volume in 1841, entitled Hymns 
and Anthems, to which Mrs. Adams contributed thir- 
teen poems, among them the only one of hers to-day 
in common use. From the fact that she worshiped 
with the Unitarians and contributed to their hymn- 
books she has been persistently classed with them, 
and zealous critics have read zz¢o her lines more Uni- 
tarianism than can be found therein, and read out of 
them the elements of evangelical faith which they 
plainly contain. If she was indeed a Unitarian, she 
must have been a very high Arian, for her hymns 
seem to be a close approach to orthodoxy. She has 
one to the Holy Spirit beginning 


**Creator Spirit, Thou the first.”’ 


Another on Good Friday, 


‘‘Darkness shrouded Calvary’’; 
209 


210 The History and Use of Hymns 


and another, a rendering from Fénélon, 


‘Living or dying, Lord, I would be thine.”’ 


Mrs. Adams is said to have joined the Baptist 
Church in later life. We have not been able to verify 
this; but if it be so, it will solve the enigma of her 
personal faith. 

Her great hymn is the following: 


“Nearer, my God, to thee! 
Nearer to thee, 
E’en though it be a cross 
That raiseth me; 
Still all my song shall be, 
Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


‘*Though like the wanderer, 
The sun gone down, 
Darkness be over me, 
My rest a stone, 
Yet in my dreams I’d be 
Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


‘‘There let the way appear, 
Steps unto heaven; 
All that thou sendest me, 
In mercy given; 
Angels to beckon me 
Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


‘‘Then, with my waking thoughts 
Bright with thy praise, 
Out of my stony griefs 
Bethel I’ll raise; 
So by my woes to be 
Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearet to thee! 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 21 


“Or if, on joyful wing 
Cleaving the sky, 
Sun, moon, and stars forgot, 
Upward I fly, 
Still all my song shall be, 
Nearer, my God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee!’’ 


This hymn will take rank among the best of the 
English language. It is the most widely popular of 
all written by female hymnists; yet no hymn has 
received such peculiar treatment at the hands of the 
critics. The English Baptists added a verse begin- 
ning ‘‘Christ alone beareth me,’’ that the reference 
to the Saviour might be supplied. Others have 
quarreled with it because it sticks so closely to the 
figure supplied by the history of Jacob at Bethel. 
Bishop How of London wrote a paraphrase of the 
hymn in 1864, ‘‘expressing more definitely Christian 
faith and better adapted for Congregational worship. ’’ 
It omits every reference to Jacob and substitutes the 
history of Jesus during his passion. It is worth while 
to quote this hymn, that the student may compare 
the two. (See p. 251.) 


‘Nearer, O God, to thee! 
Hear thou our prayer; 
Ev’n though a heavy cross 
Fainting we bear, 
Still all our prayer shall be 
Nearer, O God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


“If, where they led the Lord, 
We too are borne, 
Planting our steps in his, 
Weary and worn; 


212 The History and Use of Hymns 


There even let us be 
Nearer, O God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


“Tf thou the cup of pain 
Givest to drink, 
Let not the trembling lip 
From the draught shrink; 
So by our woes to be 
Nearer, O God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


‘‘Though the great battle rage 
Hotly around, 
Still where our Captain fights 
Let us be found; 
Through toils and strife to be 
Nearer, O God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee! 


‘‘And when thou, Lord, once more 
Glorious shalt come, 
Oh, for a dwelling-place 
In thy bright home! 
Through all eternity 
Nearer, O God, to thee, 
Nearer to thee!’’ 


Other attempts to amend the hymn or displace it 
with a substitute of the same meter have been made, 
the most successful of which is a hymn by Mrs. Eliza- 
beth Payson Prentiss, the author of Stepping Heaven- 


ward, in the following: 


‘‘More love to thee, O Christ, 
More love to thee! 
Hear thou the prayer I make 
On bended knee; 
This is my earnest plea— 
More love, O Christ, to thee, 
More love to thee! 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 213 


“Once earthly joy I craved, 
Sought peace and rest; 
Now thee alone I seek— 
Give what is best; 
This all my prayer shall be— 
More love, O Christ, to thee, 
More love to thee! 


‘‘Let sorrow do its work, 
Send grief and pain; 
Sweet are thy messengers, 
Sweet their refrain, 
When they can sing with me, 
More love, O Christ, to thee, 
More love to thee! 


‘*Then shall my latest breath 
Whisper thy praise, 
This be the parting cry 
My heart shall raise; 
This still its prayer shall be— 
More love, O Christ, to thee, 
More love to thee!”’ 


This may not have been written in deliberate imitation 
of Nearer, My God, to Thee; but the correspondence in 
meter, refrain, and progress of the thought is very 
close. As an imitation of the hymn of Mrs. Adams 
this is its only rival. 

Without pursuing this matter further, it is enough 
to say that admitting the lack of distinct evangelical 
expression in the hymn under discussion, the devout 
worshiper will continue to sing it with his own inter- 
pretation. The ‘‘cross that raiseth’’ him will suggest 
the Crucified Redeemer, and the ‘‘steps unto heaven’’ 
will recall the Saviour’s own application of Jacob’s 
ladder to himself. 


214 The History and Use of Hymns 


If it were not so great a hymn it would not have 
met with so many attempts to alter or displace it. 
But notwithstanding the seriousness and sincerity of 
these attempts the hymn still stands; none of its 
popularity has been surrendered, and its celebrity has 
received a decided increment in its pathetic associa- 
tion with the death of President McKinley. 

There are a number of reasons apart from the 
beauty of the figure for the great popularity of this 
hymn, among them the following are conspicuous: 
It is an almost incomparable lyric; the striking re- 
frain, ‘‘Nearer, my God to thee, Nearer to thee,’’ is 
so graceful, so simple, and so completely a part of 
the whole that it ministers largely to lyrical effective- 
ness; the aspiration of the hymn is emphatic and its 
climax is in the refrain—the climax ascending with 
each verse to the last; but beyond all, the prevalence 
of this aspiration, even in our dreams, and the triumph 
of this aspiration over all trials, commends the hymn 
to every soul ‘‘stepping heavenward.’’ 


RAY PALMER.—1808-1887 
SAMUEL FRANCIS SMITH—1808-1895 


We associate these names together, not because 
the men that bore them were themselves associated 
during life, nor because they had anything in common 
beyond their common Christianity and their common 
poetical gifts, but their names should be recalled as 
those of the two greatest American hymn-writers; 
contemporaries; born in the same year; similarly dis- 
tinguished by lives of great usefulness; equally beloved 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 215 


and admired; so that we need not enter into any dis- 
pute concerning their comparative rank. The early 
life of both was spent in Boston. Palmer was a 
Congregationalist; Smith a Baptist. Palmer was 
eraduated from Yale, 1830; Smith from Harvard, 
1829. Both were highly honored by their respective 
denominations and filled various positions of trust and 
responsibility. Smith had a peculiar advertising in 
early life in the lines of his class-mate, Oliver Wendell 
Holmes, in a class poem— 


‘‘And there’s a fine youngster of excellent pith, 
Fate tried to conceal him by naming him Szaz¢h.” 


Dr. Palmer’s great hymn is the following: 


‘*My faith looks up to thee, 
Thou Lamb of Calvary, 
Saviour divine! 
Now hear me while I pray, 
Take all my guilt away, 
Oh, let me from this day 
Be wholly thine! 


‘*May thy rich grace impart 
Strength to my fainting heart; 
My zeal inspire; 
As thou hast died for me, 
Oh, may my love to thee 
Pure, warm, and changeless be, 
A living fire! 


‘“While life’s dark maze I tread, 
And griefs around me spread, 
Be thou my guide— 
Bid darkness turn to day, 
Wipe sorrow’s tears away, 
Nor let me ever stray 
From thee aside, 


216 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘“When ends life’s transient dream, 
When death’s cold sullen stream 
Shall o’er me roll, 
Blest Saviour! then, in love, 
Fear and distrust remove; 
Oh, bear me safe above, 
A ransomed soul!’’ 


This hymn was written in 1830, when the author 
was twenty-two years old. He wrote it for himself, 
to voice the deep feelings of his own soul, in special 
distress at the time through ill health. It was called 
forth from its hiding a year later on the special request 
of Dr. Lowell Mason for a contribution to the new 
Spiritual Songs for Social Worship, which he and 
Dr. Hastings were preparing. It is a hymn of the 
first rank, and may be safely pronounced the finest 
devotional lyric of the Second Period. Dr. Benson, 
in his ‘‘Familiar Hymns,”’ says of it: ‘“‘It is as well 
known and well loved as any American hymn. It 
seems to many people like a part of their own spiritual 
lifest! 

Dr. Palmer wrote other hymns scarcely inferior to 
this. We have already referred in Chapter II. to his 
version of St. Bernard’s ‘‘De Nomine Jesu.’’ This 
perhaps ranks next to the one just quoted: 

‘Jesus, thou Joy of loving hearts, 
Thou Fount of life! thou Light of men! 


From the best bliss that earth imparts 
We turn unfilled to thee again. 


‘‘Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood; 

Thou savest those that on thee call; 

To them that seek thee thou art good, 
To them that find thee, All in All. 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 217 


‘We taste thee, O thou Living Bread, 
And long to feast upon thee still; 
We drink of thee, the Fountain Head, 

And thirst our souls from thee to fill! 


‘‘Our restless spirits yearn for thee, 
Where’er our changeful lot is cast: 
Glad, when thy gracious smile we see, 
Blest, when our faith can hold thee fast. 


**O Jesus, ever with us stay; 
Make all our moments calm and bright; 
Chase the dark night of sin away, 
Shed o’er the world thy holy light!’ 


Dr. Palmer’s other hymns embrace the following: 
“Come, Jesus, Redeemer abide thou with me.”’ 
‘*Wouldst thou eternal life obtain?’’ 
‘‘Take me, O my Father, take me.”’ 
**O Jesus, sweet the tears I shed.”’ 
‘‘O Christ, the Lord of Heaven, to thee.’’ 


It should be noted that Dr. Palmer frequently ex- 
pressed his own preference, above all his hymns, for 
the following: 


‘‘Jesus, these eyes have never seen 
That radiant form of thine! 
The vail of sense hangs dark between 
Thy blessed face and mine! 


**I see thee not, I hear thee not, 
Yet art thou oft with me; 
And earth hath ne’er so dear a spot 
As where I meet with thee. 


‘Like some bright dream that comes unsought, 
When slumbers o’er me roll, 
Thine image ever fills my thought, 
And charms my ravished soul. 


218 The History and Use of Hymns 


“Yet, though I have not seen, and still 
Must rest in faith alone. 
I love thee, dearest Lord!—and will, 
Unseen, but not unknown. 


‘‘When death these mortal eyes shall seal, 
And still this throbbing heart, 
The rending vail shall thee reveal, 
All glorious as thou art!’’ 


This was one of Dr. Palmer’s latest hymns. It 
was written in 1858, and so falls without the boun- 
dary which we have assigned to the Second Period. 
For thirty years thereafter it was in the heart and on 
the lips of its author, and the day before his death, in 
his great feebleness, he was heard to repeat the last 
verse. They were the last intelligible words which 
he uttered. The hymn itself is beautiful; beautiful! 
very particularly so when the words of Christ on 
which it is founded are recalled: ‘‘Blessed are they 
that have not seen and yet have believed.”’ (John 
Ree 

Dr. Smith’s best work is his missionary hymn: 


‘‘The morning light is breaking; 

The darkness disappears; 

The sons of earth are waking 
To penitential tears; 

Each breeze that sweeps the ocean 
Brings tidings from afar, 

Of nations in commotion, 
Prepared for Zion’s war. 


‘Rich dews of grace come o’er us, 
In many a gentle shower, 
And brighter scenes before us, 
Are opening every hour: 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 219 


Each cry to heaven going, 
Abundant answers brings, 

And heavenly gales are blowing, 
With peace upon their wings. 


**See heathen nations bending 

Before the God we love, 

And thousand hearts ascending 
In gratitude above; 

While sinners now confessing, 
The gospel call obey, 

And seek the Saviour’s blessing, 
A nation in a day. 


“‘Blest river of salvation, 
Pursue thine onward way; 
Flow thou to every nation, 
Nor in thy richness stay: 
Stay not till all the lowly 
Triumphant reach their home: 
Stay not till all the holy 
Proclaim, ‘The Lord is come!’ ”’ 


There is nothing ‘‘great’’ about this hymn, measured 
by the ordinary standards; but when Dr. Nutter, in 
his Hymn Studies, says of it that it is ‘‘pleasantly 
optimistic,’’ he gives the very secret of its great 
popularity. It has probably gone further and been 
sung more frequently than any other missionary 
hymn, not even excepting Bishop Heber’s. It is 
known to have been translated into Italian, Spanish, 
Portuguese, Swedish, Chinese, Siamese, and several of 
the Hindu dialects; and all because it voices the 
blessed optimism of the promises. 

It is a very strange and noteworthy fact that while 
Dr. Smith wrote the most popular of missionary 
hymns he wrote also our National Anthem. All 


220 The History and Use of Hymns 


lands were dear to him; but before all, his own. He 
is at once the most patriotic and the most cosmopoli- 
tan of our hymn-writers: 


‘“My country! ’tis of thee, 
Sweet land of liberty, 
Of thee I sing; 
Land where my fathers died! 
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride! 
From every mountainside 
Let freedom ring! 


‘“My native country, thee— 
Land of the noble, free— 
Thy name I love; 
I love thy rocks and rills, 
Thy woods and templed hills; 
My heart with rapture thrills 
Like that above. 


“‘Let music swell the breeze, 
And ring from all the trees 
Sweet freedom’s song: 
Let mortal tongues awake; 
Let all that breathe partake; 
Let rocks their silence break— 
The sound prolong. 


‘“‘Our fathers’ God! to thee, 
Author of liberty, 
To thee we sing: 
Long may our land be bright 
With freedom’s holy light: 
Protect us by thy might, 
Great God, our King!”’ 


The tune ‘‘ America,’’ to which this hymn is sung, 
is of ancient origin; but its chief celebrity rests upon 


its association with the National Anthem of Great 
Britain—God Save the King. It was a happy thought 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 221 


in Dr. Smith to write in the same meter, and in Dr. 
Mason to set the words to the same tune, thus uniting 
our own land to the mother country in that form of 
- expression which appeals most powerfully to the emo- 
tions—our country and our God! 

Dr. Smith wrote a number of other hymns, but 
none which may be classed with the ones quoted. 

The differences in the style of these two writers 
lie upon the surface. Palmer is engaged with the 
contemplative elements of the religious life; Smith 
with the active. Palmer’s hymns abound with the 
invocation of Jesus and this name of the incarnate 
Son of God is again and again repeated. Smith’s 
hymns deal almost exclusively with the work which 
the glorified Redeemer is carrying on in the world. 
Palmer is more evangelistic; Smith is more missionary. 
The poems of the one admirably supplement those of 
the other. Together they cover a wide range and 
illustrate all that is best in American hymnody. It 
will be observed that with Samuel F. Smith the era of 
great missionary hymns draws to its close. Some 
attempts have been made in later years, but none that 
reach the rank of those noted in this volume. This 
does not indicate any decline in missionary zeal or 
activity, but only, as before indicated, the removal of 
that initial impulse or passion out of which come all 
the great poems of a people. The evangelistic spirit 
is, however, continued in connection with two great 
names with which the Second Period closes. 


222 The History and Use of Hymns 


HORATIUS BONAR.—1808-1889 


Dr. Bonar is the most popular of all hymn-writers, 
except Watts and Wesley, if we are to judge by the 
number of hymns of each in the various collec- 
tions. About one hundred of his hymns are in 
common use. 

Horatius Bonar was born in Edinburgh, December 
I9, 1808. His father, James Bonar, was solicitor 
of the excise, a man of learning and piety. His 
father’s ancestors for several generations were clergy- 
men of the Church of Scotland, so that it was not 
strange that he gave himself to Christ in early youth 
and chose the ministry as his life-work. His educa- 
tion was pursued in the city of his birth, and there 
completed at the University of Edinburgh. His 
character was largely shaped by his familiar fellowship 
with Dr. Chalmers and the saintly McCheyne, and he 
gave himself to his calling with rare devotion. 

His first settlement was at Kelso, on the banks of 
the Tweed, a district celebrated in song and story, 
and already associated in the mind of the reader with 
the name of Henry F. Lyte. A great revival soon 
developed at Dundee, under the preaching of 
McCheyne, into which Bonar threw himself with all 
his soul. He was very anxious for the extension of 
the blessed work, and to promote this he published the 
celebrated Kelso Tracts, which were largely circulated 
in Great Brittain and America, and which did much 
in promoting his reputation. 

Then came the bitter controversy in the old Kirk 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV — 223 


and the disruption. Bonar went with the Free 
Church, and inasmuch as he and his congregation 
were able to hold their property, his church became 
the center of power and influence. 

In 1865 Dr. Bonar removed from Kelso to Edin- 
burgh, where he continued to preach with unabated 
power for more than twenty years. He lived to be 
eighty-one years old. His age was serene and beauti- 
ful, and his death as sincerely mourned as any man’s 
in his generation. Dr. Theodore Cuyler’s account 
of his funeral service is particularly interesting. He 
says: 

“In August, 1889, when I was on a visit to Chillingham Castle, 
Lady Tankerville said to me, ‘Our dear Bonar is dead.’ I left 
the next day for Edinburgh, and reached there in time to bear an 
humble part in the funeral services. There was a tremendous 
downpour, but in spite of the storm the Morningside Church was 
well filled by a representative assembly. The service was con- 


fined to the reading of the Scriptures, to two prayers, and the 
singing of Bonar’s beautiful hymn, the last verse of which is 


‘Broken Death’s dread hand that bound us, 

Life and victory around us, 

Christ the King himself hath crowned us, 
Ah! ’tis heaven at last!’ 


I rode down to the Canongate Cemetery with grand old Principal 
John Cairns (who had offered the prayers at the service) and 
under weeping skies we laid down to his rest the mortal remains 
of the man who attuned more voices to praise than any Scotchman 
of the century.”’ 


_ There is such uniformity of merit in Dr. Bonar’s 
hymns that we cannot select one, before all others, 
and say, ‘‘This is the best.’’ 


y 


224 The History and Use of Hymns 


Probably the one which would be first mentioned 
by his admirers would be 


‘‘T lay my sins on Jesus, 
The spotless Lamb of God; 
He bears them all, and frees us 
From the accurséd load; 
I bring my guilt to Jesus, 
To wash my crimson stains 
White in his blood most precious 
Till not a stain remains. 


**I lay my wants on Jesus; 
All fullness dwells in him; 
He healeth my diseases, 
He doth my soul redeem: 
I lay my griefs on Jesus, 
My burdens and my cares; 
He from them all releases, 
He all my sorrows shares. 


“I long to be like Jesus, 
Meek, loving, lowly, mild; 
I long to be like Jesus, 
The Father’s holy child. 
I long to be with Jesus, 
Amid the heavenly throng; 
To sing with saints his praises, 
And learn the angels’ song.’’ 


The beauty of this hymn is in its spiritual compre- 
hensiveness. Beginning with the removal of the sin- 
ner’s guilt it passes to the supply of his wants, the 
comfort of his sorrows, his imitation of the Saviour’s 
example, his growth in his likeness and the everlast- 
ing enjoyment of his presence. 

The next hymn to be mentioned would probably 
be the following: 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 225 


‘‘T heard the voice of Jesus say, 

‘Come unto me and rest; 

Lay down, thou weary one, lay down 
Thy head upon my breast!’ 

I came to Jesus as I was, 
Weary, and worn, and sad; 

I found in him a resting-place, 
And he hath made me glad. 


‘*T heard the voice of Jesus say, 

‘Behold, I freely give 

The living water; thirsty one, 
Stoop down, and drink, and live!’ 

I came to Jesus, and I drank 
Of that life-giving stream; 

My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, 
And now I live in him. 


‘*T heard the voice of Jesus say, 

‘I am this dark world’s light; 

Look unto me, thy morn shall rise, 
And all thy day be bright!’ 

I looked to Jesus, and I found 
In him my Star, my Sun; 

And in that light of life I'll walk 
Till all my journey’s done.”’ 


This is, if we may use the expression, one of the 
most ingenious hymns in the language. The bal- 
ancing of the call of Jesus and the soul’s response is 
exceedingly graceful, forceful, and suggestive. This 
is perfectly represented in the tune Vor Dzdlectz, 
written for the hymn by Rev. John B. Dykes, in 
which the plaintive minor of the first half of each 
verse is followed by the glowing major of the second 
half. The hymn, sung to this tune, is seldom sur- 
passed in church music. 


226 The History and Use of Hymns 


Other well-known hymns by Bonar begin 


‘‘When the weary seeking rest.’ 
‘‘Beyond the smiling and the weeping.”’ 
“Go labor on, spend and be spent.”’ 
**Jesus whom angel hosts adore.”’ 
“Yes, for me, for me he careth.’’ 
**This is not my place of resting.’’ 
“A few more years shall roll.” 
‘*The church has waited long.”’ 


‘I was a wandering sheep.’’ 


Dr. Bonar would not admit to his own worship the 
hymns which he taught so many saints to sing. Many 
of them were first written for use in his Sunday school, 
to the work of which he was particularly devoted. 
He encouraged the children to sing them, but would 
not permit his adult congregation to doso. He en- 
forced this rule until near the end of life, and when at 
last he introduced them in the church service two of 
his elders rose from their places and strode indig- 
nantly out of church. 

Bonar’s hymns cover a wide range of subjects, yet 
they are much alike in some particulars. Their use 
of the name ‘‘Jesus’’ is as noticeable as in the hymns 
of Ray Palmer—indicating in both cases the near 
approach of the Third Period. The emotional pre- 
ponderates in them. Even when they urge activity, 
it is not so much as a call to duty, but as an encour- 
agement to the worker. They are in other respects 
a psychological study; for Dr. Bonar had the reputa- 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 227 


tion of a war-horse. Dr. Cuyler says: ‘‘Behind that 
benign countenance was a spirit as pugnacious in 
ecclesiastical controversy as that of the Roman 
Horatius’’—a reference to Bonar’s first name—yet 
his hymns are as balmy as a May morning. Let the 
student solve the riddle for himself. 


HENRY ALFORD.—I8I10-1871 


Alford is the last hymn-writer of the Second Period. 
He should need no introduction to the student, but 
his name is not so familiar to those of the present day 
as to those of the last half century. For two genera- 
tions it has been a household word among all students 
of the Bible, because of his monumental work, his 
Greek Testament with Notes, upon which he labored 
for twenty years, and which the majority of divinity 
students through two continents studied. 

Alford was born in London, October 7, 1810, 
where his father was an English Church clergyman. 
He was graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge. 
After serving with great success in several positions 
he became in 1857 dean of Canterbury, and there 
remained fourteen years, until his death. His mem- 
ory is almost exclusively associated with this office, 
and he is known everywhere only as ‘‘Dean Alford’’ 
—as though his Christian name were forgotten. He 
was a man of great learning, taste, piety, and elo- 
quence; and is remembered by those who knew him 
with much affection. Dean Alford wrote many hymns, 
but most of them added little to his reputation. They 
are generally ‘‘cold and conventional,’’ so that few 


228 The History and Use of Hymns 


have been cherished by the church and remain in 
common use. Those which are found in our collec- 
tions, however, possess much merit. 


‘‘Ten thousand times ten thousand, 

In sparkling raiment bright, 

The armies of the ransomed saints, 
Throng up the steeps of light; 

*Tis finished, all is finished, 
Their fight with death and sin; 

Fling open wide the golden gates, 
And let the victors in. 


‘*What rush of hallelujahs 
Fills all the earth and sky! 
What ringing of a thousand harps 
Bespeaks the triumph nigh! 
Oh, day, for which creation 
And all its tribes were made! 
Oh, joy, for all its former woes, 
A thousand-fold repaid! 


**Oh, then, what raptured greetings 

On Canaan’s happy shore, 

What knitting severed friendships up, 
Where partings are no more! 

Then eyes with joy shall sparkle, 
That brimmed with tears of late, 

Orphans no longer fatherless, 
Nor widows desolate. 


‘Bring near thy great salvation, 
Thou Lamb for sinner slain; 
Fill up the roll of thine elect, 
Then take thy power, and reign; 
Appear, Desire of nations— 
Thine exiles long for home— 
Show in the heaven thy promised sign; 
Thou Prince and Saviour, Come!’’ 


Hymns of the Second Period. IV 229 


This hymn was written only four years before his 
death. It represents the maturity of his hope and 
faith. It was sung at his funeral service in Canter- 
bury Cathedral. Dykes’ tune (Alford) gives it great 
dignity; but it is scarcely a lyric. It has more power 
when eloquently repeated than when sung. It can 
scarcely either be called a hymn, though the last verse 
saves it to hymnody. Nevertheless it is so full of the 
courage of the Church Militant, soon to become the 
Church Triumphant, that it cannot be spared from 
our hymn-books. 

Two other hymns of Alford deserve mention. 
They begin 


‘‘Forward be our watchword,’’ 
and his fine harvest song, 


‘‘Come, ye thankful people, come.”’ 


CHAPTER XIV 
HYMNS OF THE THIRD PERIOD 


We pass now from the second period in English 
hymnology to the third. The change in the character 
of the hymns is not so immediately marked, but it is 
fully :as positive as that which was noted in passing 
from the first period to the second. The decadence 
of this period is marked in the large preponderance of 
translations and it would almost seem as though the 
ability of original utterance in sacred song of high 
character were departing from the church. The rise 
of the devotional and sentimental is also apparent in 
the multiplication of female hymn-writers. 


MIss JANE BORTHWICK.—1813— 
Mrs. SARAH FINDLATER.—1823— 
Miss CATHERINE WINKWORTH.—1829-1878 


These three women are distinguished by their 
excellent work in the translation of the best German 
hymns. Their work has been already noted and a 
number of their translations quoted in Chapter III. 
Miss Borthwick and Mrs. Findlater were sisters and 
labored together in preparation of their work entitled 
flymns from the Land of Luther. They were born 
in Edinburgh. Miss Sarah Borthwick married 
Rev. Eric John Findlater and resided for a time 
in Perthshire. Miss Winkworth was born in Lon- 


230 


Hymns of the Third Period 231 


don and lived subsequently in Manchester and Clif- 
ton. Her Lyra Germanica is the work from which 
the more important of her translated hymns have 
been drawn. 

The only hymn which need be quoted in addition 
to those already given in the previous chapter is the 
following by Miss Borthwick: 


‘*My Jesus, as thou wilt! 

Oh, may thy will be mine; 
Into thy hand of love 

I would my all resign; 
Through sorrow, or through joy, 

Conduct me as thine own, 
And help me still to say, 

My Lord, thy will be done! 


**My Jesus, as thou wilt! 
Though seen through many a tear, 
Let not my star of hope 
Grow dim or disappear; 
Since thou on earth hast wept, 
And sorrowed oft alone, 
If I must weep with thee, 
My Lord, thy will be done! 


**My Jesus, as thou wilt! 

All shall be well for me; 
Each changing future scene 

I gladly trust with thee: 
Straight to my home above 

I travel calmly on, 
And sing, in life or death, 

My Lord, thy will be done!’’ 


This is a rendering of ‘‘Mein Jesu, wie du willst,’’ 
by Benjamin Schmolck, a Lutheran pastor of Brau- 
chitzchdorf, in Silesia, one of the most popular hymn- 


232 The History and Use of Hymns 


writers of his day. It was written about 1704. The 
hymn is one of the most acceptable to American con- 
gregations, and while the German original belongs to 
an earlier date, the English translation is one of the 
very best exponents of the pcriod we are now con- 
sidering. 


FREDERICK WILLIAM FABER.—1I814—1863 


There is scarcely an English poet concerning whose 
compositions such varying opinions have been ex- 
pressed as Faber’s. Yet there is scarcely another of 
the past century whose poems have been more fre- 
quently quoted by Christians of every name. Many 
single lines have become almost proverbial; though 
many who make use of them are ignorant of their 
origin. His special admirers are intensely devoted 
to him, with an admiration amounting almost to a 
passion. To say the least, his work is worthy of 
careful examination. 

Faber was the son of an English clergyman. He 
was born in Yorkshire, June 28, 1814. He was 
graduated from Baliol College, Oxford, in 1836, 
ordained the year following, and became rector of 
Elton, Huntingdonshire, 1843. He came under the 
influence of the Oxford movement and this, with his 
great affection for Newman, carried him into the 
Roman Church, which he joined in 1846. He estab- 
lished in London, in 1849, one of the branches of the 
Congregation of St. Philip Neri, of which Newman 
was father superior. In 1854 the Oratory was 
removed to Brompton, where Faber continued to 


Hymns of the Third Period 233 


reside. He died September 26, 1863, at the early 
age of forty-nine. 

Dr. Faber was a very voluminous writer in both 
prose and poetry. Many editions of his hymns have 
been published, some of which for Protestant use 
omit those addressed to Mary and the saints, and 
modify the language of others. Yet a consider- 
able number need no change, as they were written 
before the author’s secession to Romanism. 

In making our selections for quotation from 
Faber’s hymns we find it difficult to select such as 
are fairly representative of his style and also gener- 
ally known. The following seems to meet the condi- 
tions as well as any: 


‘‘There’s a wideness in God’s mercy 

Like the wideness of the sea; 

There’s a kindness in his justice 
Which is more than liberty. 

There is welcome for the sinner, 
And more graces for the good; 

There is mercy with the Saviour; 
There is healing in his blood. 


‘*There is no place where earth’s sorrows 

Are more felt than up in heaven; 

There is no place where earth’s failings 
Have such kindly judgment given. 

There is plentiful redemption 
In the blood that has been shed; 

There is joy for all the members 
In the sorrows of the Head. - 


**For the love of God is broader 
Than the measure of man’s mind; 
And the heart of the Eternal 
Is most wonderfully kind. 


234 The History and Use of Hymns 


If our love were but more simple, 
We should take him at his word; 

And our lives would be all sunshine 
In the sweetness of our Lord.’’ 


This hymn contains the very elements for which 
Faber has been both praised and blamed. He is 
very much given to just such expressions as this, “‘A 
kindness in his justice.’’ He mixes qualities that are 
apparently incongruous, in his effort to exhibit spiritual 
truth. He is fond of such terms as this, , ‘‘the sweet- 
ness of the Lord’’; and indulges in a familiarity that 
is offensive to some minds. He uses words in un- 
usual meanings and strange connections. His lan- 
guage is fulsome and extravagant. Some say that his 
meaning is obscure; that his words often lack sense; 
that his style is burdened with excrescences. 

These criticisms may be just to the letter of his 
poems; but they are certainly very unjust to their 
spirit. Faber must be understood to be appreciated. 
To those who have read his works at some length his 
peculiar power is plainly revealed. His imagination 
was exceedingly vivid, and at the same time, most 
unusual in its play. It led him out and on intoa 
realm of strange associations and combinations. He 
brought things together in the spiritual world that 
seemed far apart in the natural world, and in order 
to state his thought he invested his terms with unusual 
meanings. He got more out of language than any 
other poet of the English tongue, and used words— 
even simple words—so that they rendered him a ser- 
vice which no other poet ever secured from them. 


Hymns of the Third Period 235 


This might be illustrated at length did the plan and 
space of this work permit. 

In studying his hymns, therefore, we may seek the 
general impression which they are intended to convey 
and value it, when found, in spite of what may seem 
to be verbal infelicities. 

Faber’s peculiarities appear very strikingly in two 
of his hymns, which have become great favorites in 
many churches, as follows: 


‘Hark, hark, my soul! angelic songs are swelling 
O’er earth’s green fields and ocean’s wave-beat shore: 
How sweet the truth those blessed strains are telling 
Of that new life when sin shall be no more. 


REF.—‘‘Angels of Jesus, angels of light, 
Singing to welcome the pilgrims of the night. 


‘‘Onward we go, for still we hear them singing, 
Come, weary souls, for Jesus bids you come; 
And through the dark, its echoes sweetly ringing, 
The music of the gospel leads us home.— REF. 


“Far, far away, like bells at evening pealing, 
The voice of Jesus sounds o’er land and sea; 
And laden souls, by thousands meekly stealing, 
Kind Shepherd, turn their weary steps to thee.—REF, 


‘‘Angels, sing on, your faithful watches keeping, 
Sing us sweet fragments of the songs above; 
Till morning’s joy shall end the night of weeping, 
And life’s long shadows break in cloudless love.’’—REF, 


“O Paradise! O Paradise! 
Who doth not crave for rest? 
Who would not seek the happy land 
Where they that loved are blest? 


REF.—‘‘Where loyal hearts and true 
Stand ever in the light, 
All rapture through and through, 
In God’s most holy sight. 


236 The History and Use of Hymns 


*“‘O Paradise! O Paradise! 
The world is growing old; 
Who would not be at rest and free 
Where love is never cold?—REF, 


*‘O Paradise! O Paradise! 
I greatly long to see 
The special place my dearest Lord 
In love prepares for me.—REF. 


‘‘Lord Jesus, King of Paradise, 
Oh, keep me in thy love, 
And guide me to that happy land 
Of perfect rest above! 


REF.—‘‘Where loyal hearts and true 
Stand ever in the light, 
All rapture through and through, 
In God’s most holy sight.’’ 


Other hymns of Faber begin 
‘‘Sweet Saviour bless us ere we go.”’ 
**O God! thy power is wonderful.’’ 
“OQ God! how wonderful thou art.” 
“O gift of gifts! O grace of Faith!” 
‘*Thy home is with the humble Lord.” 


‘‘God’s glory is a wondrous thing.’”? © 


EDWARD CASWALL.—1814-1878 
JOHN MASON NEALE.—1818—1866 


These names are associated as those of the most 
celebrated translators of the Greek and Latin hymns. 
Their work has been noticed and some of their best 
translations quoted in Chapter II. Caswall’s Jesus, 
the very thought of thee and Neale’s /erusalem the 
Golden—the originals by the two Bernards—are the 


Hymns of the Third Period 237 


only hymns of the third period which find a place in 
Dr. Benson’s list. Both Caswall and Neale were 
affected by the Oxford movement, Caswall becoming 
a Roman Catholic and Neale remaining in the Eng- 
lish Church, while adopting many of the Romish 
practices. 

Caswall was born in Hampshire, July 15, 1814. 
His father was a clergyman. He was educated at 
Brazenose College, Oxford, graduating with honors. 
He was ordained in 1840, and after ten years of ser- 
vice, entered the Roman Church. He joined New- 
man’s Oratory at Birmingham and thenceforth to the 
end of his life devoted himself to the duties of his 
order, manifesting an unusual tender interest in the 
needy, the sick and little children. 

Neale was born in London, January 24, 1818. 
His father, also, was a clergyman. Neale entered 
Trinity College, Cambridge, where he soon took rank 
as the best scholar in his class. He was awarded 
many honors, chiefly classical, and became a devoted 
student of medizval church literature. In 1846 he 
became warden of Sackville College, East Grimstead, 
an obscure almshouse, where he continued to labor, 
on the meager salary of twenty-seven pounds per year, 
until his death. Here he founded a number of insti- 
tutions after Roman models, the most important of 
which was a sisterhood, the members of which were 
devoted to acts of charity. His work brought him 
into disfavor with the ecclesiastical authorities, but he 
was able to live down all opposition by his transparent 
sincerity, his gentle manners, and the abounding 


238 The History and Use of Hymns 


charity which he showed to Christians of every name. 
He was a high ritualist, and a pronounced mystic, and 
seemed more like a medizval saint than a modern 
clergyman. His voluminous writings, however, have 
greatly enriched the literature of Christendom, while 
he and Caswall have done more to familiarize the 
average student with ancient hymnody than all other 
authors combined. 

Caswall’s most celebrated hymn is taken from 
Bernard’s De Nomine Jesu, the first line being /esus, 
the very thought of thee. It has been already quoted 
in Chapter II. The following, scarcely inferior, is 
from the same original: 


*‘O Jesus! King most wonderful, 
Thou Conqueror renowned, 

Thou sweetness most ineffable, 
In whom all joys are found! 


‘“When once thou visitest the heart, 
Then truth begins to shine, 
Then earthly vanities depart, 
Then kindles love divine. 


**O Jesus, Light of all below! 
Thou Fount of life and fire! 
Surpassing all the joys we know, 
All that we can desire— 


‘*May every heart confess thy name, 
And ever thee adore; 
And, seeking thee, itself inflame 
To seek thee more and more. 


“‘Thee may our tongues forever bless, 
Thee may we love alone; 
And ever in our life express 
The image of thine own.’’ 


Hymns of the Third Period 239 


Caswall has very few original hymns in our col- 
lections. The following deserves notice as one 
of them: 


**O Jesus Christ, if sin there be, 
In all our former years, 
That wrings the soul with agony, 
And chokes the heart with tears; 
It is the deep ingratitude 
Which we to thee have shown, 
Who didst for us in tears and blood 
Upon the cross atone. 


‘‘Alas, how with our actions all 

Has this defect entwined; 

And poisoned with its bitter gall 
The spirit, heart, and mind! 

Alas, through.this, how many gems 
Have we not cast away 

That might have formed our diadems 
In everlasting day! 


‘*Yet though the time be past and gone; 

Though little more remains; 

Though naught is all that can be done, 
Ev’n with our utmost pains: 

Still, Jesus, in thy grace we try 
To do what in us lies; 

For never did thy loving eye 
The contrite heart despise.”’ 


Dr. Robinson admits this hymn to his editions of 
Laudes Domini and yet criticises it rather severely in 
his Annotatious. He raises the question ‘‘Whether 
any one can hope to be supremely poetical when he is 
unfortunate enough to select a special sin, or possibly 
a notable immorality, for his theme.’’ Perhaps not. 
But does the criticism apply in this instance? Is in- 
gratitude a ‘‘special sin’’? It surely cannot be prop- 


240 The History and Use of Hymns 


erly called an ‘‘immorality.’’ Rather it is generally 
the chief defect in renewed character and the source 
of many special sins. So the author himself declares 
in the second verse. There are those to whom this 
hymn has appealed with a power scarcely equaled by 
other compositions. It fills a place in hymnody 
otherwise almost neglected and the very peculiarity of 
its theme will maintain its high place among our 
sacred songs. 

Neale’s reputation rests chiefly on his beautiful 
translation of Bernard of Cluny, /erusalem the 
Golden. Several verses of this hymn are given in 
the previous chapter. Another form by Dr. Neale is 
given here. 


‘Jerusalem, the glorious! 

The glory of the elect— 

O dear and future vision 
That eager hearts expect! 

Ev’n now by faith I see thee, 
Ev’n here thy walls discern; 

To thee my thoughts are kindled, 
And strive, and pant, and yearn! 


“‘The Cross is all thy splendor, 

The Crucified, thy praise: 

His laud and benediction 
Thy ransomed people raise 

Jerusalem! exulting 
On that securest shore, 

I hope thee, wish thee, sing thee, 
And love thee evermore! 


*‘O sweet and blessed Country! 
Shall I e’er see thy face? 
O sweet and blessed Country! 
Shall I e’er win thy grace! 


Hymns of the Third Period 241 


Exult, O dust and ashes! 

The Lord shall be thy part; 
His only, his for ever, 

Thou shalt be, and thou art!’’ 


Another translation from St. Stephen of Mars 
Saba, has also been noted in the same chapter. It is 
one of Dr. Neale’s most beautiful poems: 


*‘Art thou weary, art thou languid, 
Art thou sore distressed? 
‘Come to me,’ saith One, ‘and coming, 
Be at rest.’ 


‘‘Hath he marks to lead me to him, 
If he be my Guide?— 
‘In his feet and hands are wound-prints, 
And his side.’ 


“Is there diadem, as Monarch, 
That his brow adorns ?— 
‘Yea, a crown, in very surety; 
But of thorns.’ 


“Tf I find him, if I follow, 
What his guerdon here?— 
‘Many a sorrow, many a labor, 
Many a tear.’ 


“Tf I still hold closely to him, 
What hath he at last?— 

‘Sorrow vanquished, labor ended, 
Jordan passed.’ 


“If I ask him to receive me, 
Will he say me nay?— 
‘Not till earth, and not till heaven 
Pass away.’ 


‘Finding, following, keeping, struggling, 
Is he sure to bless?— 
‘Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs, 
Answer, Yes.’ ”’ 


242 The History and Use of Hymns 


Dr. Neale is known by a few original hymns, the 
most familiar, probably, beginning 


‘‘Holy Father thou hast taught me.’’ 


Miss ANNA LETITIA WARING.—I1820— 


Little can be learned of this author beyond that 
she was born at Neath, South Wales, and that she is 
the author of several little books of hymns from which 
those in common use have been taken. She is the 
author of one of the finest hymns of this period, as 
follows: 


‘In heavenly love abiding, 
No change my heart shall fear, 
And safe in such confiding, 
For nothing changes here: 
The storm may roar without me, 
My heart may low be laid, 
But God is round about me, 
And can I be dismayed? 


‘*Wherever he may guide me, 

No want shall turn me back; 

My Shepherd is beside me, 
And nothing can I lack: 

His wisdom ever waketh, 
His sight is never dim: 

He knows the way he taketh, 
And I will walk with him. 


“‘Green pastures are before me, 
Which yet I have not seen; 
Bright skies will soon be o’er me, 
Where darkest clouds have been: 
My hope I cannot measure; 
My path to life is free; 
My Saviour has my treasure, 
And he will walk with me.’’ 


Hymns of the Third Period 243 


In this hymn we have a new and very free rendering 
of the twenty-third Psalm. It is a superb lyric. 
The rhythm is faultless and has a peculiarly charming 
movement. The antithesis in ‘‘I will walk with him, ’’ 
and ‘‘He will walk with me’’ is striking, and, as 
Dr. Robinson well remarks, ‘‘the closing verse is 
fairly jubilant with confident hope and unfaltering 
trust.’’ 
Another hymn by the same author begins 


‘Father, I know that all my life.”’ 


CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER.—1823-—1895. 


This gifted woman was the wife of the Rev. Dr. 
William Alexander, Bishop of Derry, Ireland. She 
has published a number of volumes of poems, but 
particularly excels in her hymns for children, of which 
she has written many. Apart from these she is best 
known as the author of Zhe Burtal of Moses, a very 
fine descriptive poem. The hymn on which her repu- 
tation rests beyond all other of her compositions is the 


following: 
“‘There is a green hill far away, 

Without a city wall, 

Where the dear Lord was crucified 
Who died to save us all. 

We may not know, we cannot tell, 
What pains he had to bear; 

But we believe it was for us 
He hung and suffered there. 


‘He died that we might be forgiven, 
He died to make us good, 
That we might go at last to heaven, 
Saved by his precious blood, 


244 The Htstory and Use of Hymns 


There was no other good enough 
To pay the price of sin; 

He only could unlock the gate 
Of heaven, and let us in. 


**Oh, dearly, dearly has he loved, 

And we must love him, too, 

And trust in his redeeming blood, 
And try his works to do. 

For there’s a green hill far away, 
Without a city wall, 

Where the dear Lord was crucified 
Who died to save us all.’ 


This was first published in her ‘‘Hymns for Little 
Children,’’ which accounts for the great simplicity of 
the language; but it furnishes a complete illustration 
of the fact that chzld-like simplicity—if it be not 
childish—is the most popular and profitable form of 
truth, even with adults. Simple as this hymn is in 
its style, it voices the most profound doctrines. The 
incomprehensible character and extent of our Lord’s 
sufferings upon the cross is plainly indicated; as also 
the justifying and sanctifying influences of his grace, 
his sole merit, and the very foundation of all Christian 
living—love for him who first loved us. 

Another of Mrs. Alexander’s hymns of almost 
equal merit is 

‘“When, wounded sore, the stricken soul 
Lies bleeding and unbound, 


One only hand, a piercéd hand, 
Can heal the sinner’s wound. 


‘“When sorrow swells the laden breast, 
And tears of anguish flow, 
One only heart, a broken heart, 
Can feel the sinner’s woe. 


Hymns of the Third Pertod 245 


**When penitence has wept in vain 
Over some foul, dark spot, 
One only stream, a stream of blood, 
Can wash away the blot. 


***Tis Jesus’ blood that washes white, 
His hand that brings relief; 
His heart that’s touched with all our joys, 
And feeleth for our grief. 


“Lift up thy bleeding hand, O Lord! 
Unseal that cleansing tide; 
We have no shelter from our sin 
But in thy wounded side.”’ 


This hymn is most evangelical, intensely spiritual, 
and withal, full of poetic thought and refinement. 
The hand that was pierced heals our wounds; the 
heart that was broken feels our woe; the blood that 
flows washes away our stains! 

Other fine hymns by Mrs. Alexander begin 

““Once in David’s royal city.”’ 
‘‘He is coming! He is coming!’’ 


*‘Jesus calls us o’er the tumult.” 


FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL.—1836—-1879 


We come now to the last of the English hymn- 
writers whose work it is our privilege to study. In 
this distinctively woman’s period, this is the name of 
a woman—the greatest of the period in those ele- 
ments of hymnody for which the period is distinguished. 

Miss Havergal’s father was a minister of the 
Church of England, himself a poet and musician of 
no mean order, as a reference to any modern hymn- 
book will show. She was born at Astley in Wor- 


246 The History and Use of Hymns 


cestershire, December 14, 1836. In 1851 she Says: 
‘‘T committed my soul to the Saviour and earth and 
heaven seemed brighter from that moment.’’ She 
began to write poetry when she was only seven years 
old, and this was only an index of her many intellec- 
tual gifts. She was a great linguist, conversant not 
only with several modern languages, but with Greek 
and Hebrew as well. She was a most accomplished 
musician, and played familiarly from memory the fin- 
est strains of Handel, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn. 
But she was greatest of all as a Christian, attaining a 
degree of consecration which few have reached. 

She was an invalid most of her life, yet the literary 
and philanthropic work accomplished by her industry 
surpassed that of most persons in good health. Hers 
was a life full of faith, courage, and intense devotion, 
and her influence will abide through many genera- 
tions. 

Her hymns deserve a more complete study than 
we are able to give them, but certain features may 
well be indicated as a guide to the student who would 
pursue the subject at some length. It is most impor- 
tant to note the development of her character as indi- 
cated in her hymns, and in the same connection to 
observe how fully she reflects the spirit of the age 
and its relations to the preceding periods. It is also 
important to observe in her hymns the climax of that 
devotional element by which this third period is dis- 
tinguished. She herself said indeed, ‘‘Writing is 
praying with me.’’ Let us take one of her earliest 
compositions: 


Hymns of the Third Period 247 


**Holy and infinite! viewless! eternal! 
Vailed in the glory that none can sustain, 
None comprehendeth thy being supernal, 
Nor can the heaven of heavens contain. 


‘Holy and infinite! limitless, boundless, 
All thy perfections, and powers, and praise! 

Ocean of mystery! awful and soundless 
All thine unsearchable judgments and ways! 


“King of eternity! what revelation 
Could the created and finite sustain, 
But for thy marvelous manifestation, 
Godhead incarnate in weakness and pain! 


‘‘Therefore archangels and angels adore thee 
Cherubim wonder, and seraphs admire; 
Therefore we praise thee, rejoicing before thee, 
Joining in rapture the heavenly choir. 


‘*Glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, 
Who shall not fear thee, and who shall not laud? 
Anthems of glory thy universe raises, 
Holy and infinite! Father and God!’’ 


This is very fine poetry. The style is elevated, the 
rhythm smooth, the thought profound. But it is poor 
hymnody. It reminds us very forcibly of the hymns 
of the first period in its doctrinal features, but with 
the best elements of the first period eliminated. 
What is the explanation? Miss Havergal herself tells 
us, ‘‘I know I did not love God at this time. The 
very thought of him frightened me. My thoughts did 
not naturally flow heavenward, but I forced them into 
a definite channel by a half-whisper, ‘How good it was 
of God to send Jesus to die!’ ”’ 

But by and by a great change came over her life. 
She tells of a certain painting with a legend inscribed 


248 The History and Use of Hymns 


upon it, by which her whole heart was won to the 
Saviour. As she was an attendant upon a certain 
school in Dusseldorf, it is supposed to have been the 
celebrated Ecce Homo of that splendid gallery. This 
painting represents Christ crowned with thorns, with 
the words above it, ‘‘All this have I done for thee. 
What doest thou for me?’’ Count Zinzendorf was 
converted by the sight and probably Miss Havergal. 
At all events, according to her own showing, it was 
such a picture with such words attached. Then 
began the second stage of her life, and her hymnody 
with the verses below. As Miss Havergal herself 
wrote them, they began. ‘‘I gave my life for thee,”’ 
and followed in the same person throughout the hymn. 
The lines have been changed so that the address is in 
the second person rather than the first: 
“‘Thy life was given for me, 
Thy blood, O Lord, was shed, 
That I might ransomed be, 
And quickened from the dead; 


Thy life was given for me; 
What have I given for thee? 


“Long years were spent for me 
In weariness and woe, 
That through eternity 
Thy glory I might know; 
Long years were spent for me; 
Have I spent one for thee? 


‘Thy Father’s home of light, 
Thy rainbow-circled throne, 
Were left for earthly night, 
For wanderings sad and lone; 
Yea, all was left for me; 
Have I left aught for thee? 


Hymns of the Third Period 249 


‘Thou, Lord, hast borne for me 
More than my tongue can tell 
Of bitterest agony, 
To rescue me from hell; 
Thou sufferedst all for me; 
What have I borne for thee? 


‘And thou hast brought to me 
Down from thy home above 
Salvation full and free 
Thy pardon and thy love; 
Great gifts thou broughtest me; 
What have I brought to thee? 


‘Oh, let my life be given, 
My years for thee be spent; 
World-fetters all be riven, 
And joy with suffering blent; 
Thou gavest thyself for me, 
I give myself to thee. 


This hymn was followed by many others in like 
strain, full of sweet resignation and complete self- 
surrender. 

Then as years passed by there came the third 
stage in her experience, when she reached Beulah, 
heaven was very near, and the very serenity of the 
eternal state seemed to be anticipated in her soul. 
Then she wrote: 

‘Our yet unfinished story 
Is tending all to this: 
To God the greatest glory 
To us the greatest bliss; 
Our plans may be disjointed, 
But we may calmly rest; 


What God has once appointed 
Is better than our best. 


250 The History and Use of Hymns 


‘“We cannot see before us, 

But our all-seeing Friend 

Is always watching o’er us, 
And knows the very end; 

And when amid our blindness 
His disappointments fall, 

We trust his loving kindness 
Whose wisdom sends them all. 


“‘They are the purple fringes 
That hide his glorious feet; 
They are the fire-wrought hinges 
Where truth and mercy meet; 
By them the golden portal 
Of Providence shall ope, 
And lift to praise immortal 
The songs of faith and hope.”’ 


We may not quote others of Miss Havergal’s 


hymns, but who does not know some of them, at 


least by heart? 
‘Take my life and let it be.”’ 


‘Jesus, Master, whose I am.’’ 
*‘T could not do without thee.’’ 
“IT am trusting thee, Lord Jesus.”’ 
“‘Thou art coming, O my Saviour!’’ 
‘Lord, speak to me, that I may speak.”’ 


**O Saviour, precious Saviour.’’ 


Rev. James Davidson, in /ulian’s Dictionary of 
Hymnology, says of Miss Havergal: ‘‘She carved out 
a niche which she alone could fill. Simply and 
sweetly she sang the love of God and his way of sal- 
vation. To this end and for this object her whole life 
and all her powers were consecrated. She lives and 
speaks in every line of her poetry. Her poems are 


Hymns of the Third Period 261 


permeated with the fragrance of her passionate love 
of Jesus.’’ 

As we have already intimated in advance, under 
the name of Anna Steele, we must go back to the 
first great female hymn-writer of the Englisk language 
to find the counterpart of this, its last great hymn- 
writer. Miss Havergal is called the ‘‘Theodosia’’ of 
the nineteenth century, in so many respects does she 
resemble her. Yet Jesus is presented to them in 
different aspects. Both manifest the same deep 
devotion, but with Miss Steele the aspect is physical, 
with Miss Havergal moral. Miss Steele dwells on 
his work and sufferings; Miss Havergal on his sym- 
pathy and love. Miss Steele sees him as he was in 
the past; Miss Havergal as he will be in the future. 


WILLIAM WALSHAM HOw.—1823-1897 


The only reason that can be given why the hymns 
of this author have not attained higher rank is that 
they are so recent. They were written compara- 
tively late in the Bishop’s life, but they have already 
given him a place in the hearts of those that know 
them second only to Miss Havergal, among the 
authors of this period. Bishop How was born in 
Shrewsbury, December 13, 1823; graduated from 
Oxford 1846, was rector of Whittington for twenty- 
eight years, became suffragan Bishop of Bedford, 
London, 1879, was appointed Bishop of Wakefield 
1888, and continued there until his death, August 
10, 1897. He was a man of the purest character 
and most catholic spirit. He wrote many books— 


252 The History and Use of Hymns 


chiefly poems, commentaries, and works in pastoral 
theology. His most admired hymn is that beginning 


‘*For all thy saints who from their labors rest.’ 


Other fine hymns begin 


““O Word of God incarnate;’’ 


and 
‘* We give thee but thine own.”’ 


But the hymn most generally sung is that based on 
Rev. iii. 20, in which he gives the true exegesis of 
the passage. It is very tender and persuasive, and 
deserves all its popularity. 


“‘O Jesus, thou art standing 

Outside the fast-closed door, 

In lowly patience waiting 
To pass the threshold o’er: 

We bear the name of Christians, 
His name and sign we bear: 

Oh, shame, thrice shame upon us! 
To keep him standing there. 


“‘O Jesus, thou art knocking: 
And lo! that hand is scarred, 
And thorns thy brow encircle, 
And tears thy face have marred: 
Oh, love that passeth knowledge, 
So patiently to wait! 
Oh, sin that hath no equal, 
So fast to bar the gate! 


“*O Jesus, thou art pleading 

In accents meek and low— 

‘I died for you, my children, 
And will ye treat me so?’ 

O Lord, with shame and sorrow 
We open now the door: 

Dear Saviour, enter, enter, 
And leave us nevermore!’’ 


PART II]. TUNES 





CHAPTER XV 


THE HISTORY OF HYMN-TUNES 
PERIOD I 


The Homophonic Era 


Our modern hymn-tunes come to us originally 
from the Greeks. Hebrew music was not long em- 
ployed in the early Christian church. Greek thought 
and Greek art had obtained a hold upon all civilized 
life. The Gospels were written in Greek, the preach- 
ers of the Cross generally employed the same language. 
So when the apostles and their successors entered 
Gentile communities their entire method of worship 
was affected by the dominant form of culture. The 
most ancient hymns were written in Greek and were 
naturally set to Greek music, so that in the course of 
three centuries Hebrew models were entirely aban- 
doned. Weare now to trace so much of the develop- 
ment of this Christian song as is necessary to the 
purposes of this volume. 

The history of Church Music may be divided 
into three periods, as follows: Period I., from the 
earliest times to Hucbald; 930 A. D.; Period 
II., from Hucbald to Palestrina, 1563 A.D.; Period 
III., from Palestrina to the present time. We 
shall note the special characteristics of each period 
in order. 

255 


256 The History and Use of Hymns 


PERIOD I. THE HOMOPHONIC ERA 


The word ‘‘homophonic’’ means ‘‘sameness of 
sound.’’ The music of the homophonic era had but 
one part, corresponding to that which we call the 
‘fair’? or ‘‘melody.’’ This extended over hundreds 
of years. There is no record of any other kind of 
music until we reach the tenth Christian century. 

For many generations this one-part music was little 
else than a rude chant, subjected in time to certain 
rules or customs, and corresponding closely to the 
intonation of the Roman liturgy. 


GREEK SCALES a 


The earliest Greek ‘‘scale,’’ or arrangement of 


successive notes of different pitch in order, of which 
we have any knowledge was the ‘‘tetrachord of 
Olympus.’’ From it all modern music has been 
developed. The notes of this scale, like those of its 
successors for many generations, tended downward, 
not upwards, as ours do to-day. Hence the word 
‘‘cadence,’’ indicating the falling of the voice. In 
this the vocal art followed the natural inflection used 
in speaking. The voice naturally falls to the end of 
every sentence, except in an interrogative. 

The tetrachord of Olympus contained only three 
notes, which stood related to each other as do A, F, 
and E in our system. 

It may then be expressed thus: 


—== 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period I 257 


After a time the note G was added, and we have 

This was at first known as the Doric or Dorian 
tetrachord. It is the nucleus of the entire Greek 
system. Still later similar groups of four notes each 
were added to this tetrachord, either above or below 
it, thus forming the scale and increasing the range to 


which the voice was extended. The later Dorian 
scale may then be written thus 


2 eee 


In this scale the slur indicates a half step, or semitone, 
which fell between the 2d and 3d and the 6th and 7th 
notes of the Dorian scale. 

This scale was subsequently modified by changing 
the position of the semitones and several other scales 
were the result. That beginning on E was the 
Phrygian, thus: 


a 


That beginning on F was the Lydian, thus: 


Se 


258 The History and Use of Hymns 


That beginning on G was the Mixolydian, thus: 
There were other forms which need not be here in- 
cluded. Those given above were the principal ones. 

These scales are called ‘‘modes,’’ to distinguish 
them from modern forms. The word ‘‘mode’’ is 
more strictly equivalent in modern musical nomen- 
clature to our word ‘‘key,’’ as when we speak of the 
‘‘key of G,’’ and the music sung to these modes had 
each its distinctive character, such as we recognize 
to-day in our modern major or minor scales. The 
Spartan boys were taught the Dorian mode exclusively, 
because it was supposed to express courage and dig- 
nity. The Phrygian mode expressed pleasure and 
excitement, the Lydian was considered effeminate and 
voluptuous. 

The early church doubtless availed itself of these 
modes, but without any attempt at a definite ecclesi- 


astical system, and so matters remained until near the 
close of the fourth century. 


AMBROSE 


St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (384 A.D.), is 
generally credited with the first orderly arrangement 
of sacred song. There is considerable dispute with 
regard both to the extent and the character of his 
work, but it is certain that he regulated the ritual of 
the church, introduced into Europe the Eastern prac- 


* 


Hitstory of Hymn-Tunes. Pertod I 259 


tice of dividing the verses of the psalms between 
responsive choirs, and rearranged the hymns of the 
regular service. Whatever may have been his per- 
sonal influence in the matter, there now appeared a 
new set of musical scales, based upon the four prin- 
cipal Greek modes given above, but so simplified as 
to meet the culture of his comparatively rude parish- 
ioners. Nothing like this music had ever been heard 
in the West, and it exercised a mighty influence. St. 
Augustine, in his ‘‘Confessions,’’ tells of his weeping 
with deep emotion as he listened for the first time to 
these new melodies in the great congregation at Milan. 

The Greek modes selected by St. Ambrose were 
chosen because of their apparently severe religious 
character. Others were used in the heathen temples 
and theaters, but were forbidden to the church. 
Hence the authorized scales were called authentic, 
and are still distinguished by this term. 


GREGORY THE GREAT 


There was no further development in the forms of 
church music for two hundred years. Then, with the 
accession of Pope Gregory the Great (590 A.D.) cer- 
tain improvements were introduced destined to exer- 
cise salutary and permanent influence upon the worship 
of Christendom. 

Gregory made a large number of reforms in con- 
nection with church music, among which was the 
revision of the Ambrosian hymns, the founding of a 
musical school at Rome, and the modification of the 
scales in use, with the addition of others. The music 


260 The History and Use of Hymns 


which resulted, and which has been maintained in the 
Roman Church ever since, is known as ‘‘Gregorian.”’ 
Gregory added to the ‘‘authentic’’ scales or 
‘‘modes’’ of St. Ambrose four subordinate ones. 
These were formed by adding three successive notes 
below the lowest note of each scale respectively and 
on that account they were distinguished by the prefix 
‘‘hypo,’’ meaning ‘‘under’’ or ‘‘beneath.’’ They 
are represented, and the relation of each to its cor- 
responding Ambrosian scale shown as below. 


Dorian 


Eatin ac 


Hypodorian 





The Hypophrygian, Hypolydian, and Hypomixolydian 
were constructed in the same way. These scales were 
called ‘‘plagal.’’ 

But the authentic and plagal scales differed in 
another very important particular, affecting vitally all 
subsequent church music. The word ‘“‘plagal’’ 
means ‘‘athwart,’’ or ‘‘oblique.’’ It was applied to 
the new scales because such was their movement, in 
distinction to that of the authentic scales. Observe 
the following: 


Dorian; Authentic 


+ : At ‘i 


t 
Final Final Final 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period I 261 


Mixolydian; Plagal 


oh 


Final Final Final 


It will readily be seen that in the authentic scale 
the jiza/, that is, the tone which governs the scale, 
and on which it almost always closes, lies at the begin- 
ning of the series of consecutive notes, while in the 
plagal scale it lies in the middle of the series. 

In the one case, the voice rises regularly from final 
to final and then descends regularly; in the other case, 
the voice first rises above the final, then descends 
below it, and again rises and finishes upon it. 

The character of the music produced upon these 
two diverse systems is at once apparent. They pro- 
moted variety of the most pleasing and emphatic kind, 
and this variety is frequently illustrated in our mod- 
ern hymn tunes.* Old Hundred is a fine illustration 
of a tune in the plagal form and Axtzoch of one in 
the authentic. It will be seen that the plagal melo- 
dies were more apt to be grave and dignified, the 
authentic more joyous and inspiring. 

We must be careful, however, not to associate the 
harmony of four parts in which our modern tunes are 
written with the Gregorian melodies. They were not 
tunes, as we understand the term, but chants, and the 
style of music to which they belonged is called ‘‘plain- 
song.’’ They were soon in use throughout Christen- 


* The student should pursue this subject with some good hymn and tune 
book at hand and make use of the illustrations derived from tunes which 
they contain. 


262. The History and Use of Hymns 


dom. Trained singers were sent out from Rome to 
introduce the Gregorian music in all the principal 
centers of religious life, all variations from the system 
were rigorously restrained and this method established. 

The following is a fair example of the usual Gre- 
gorian tones: 


=a 


Ma-gni - ficat anima me-a Do - mi - num. 
O—es 
Et Ex - ulta- vit Spi - ritus me - us. 





Anima me - a Domi - num 
’. 
x 1 [i seek eal) 
law ZA] aS ES 
SZ Go oH a, 
ee 
Anima me - a Domi. - num. 


There were certain variations from this form, of a 
more or less florid character, but this gives a good 
idea of the method. But the whole subject is one of 
vast dimensions. The chant melodies were very 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period I 265 


numerous and varied greatly in length and character 
according to the particular ritual for which they were 
prepared. Many were highly elaborated, but all were 
dignified and impressive. The student who desires 
to inform himself concerning them will find them dis- 
cussed in terms which may be readily understood by 
those who are not technical musicians, in Professor 
Dickinson’s J/usic in the History of the Western 
Church. 

Such is the form in which the liturgy of the Catholic 
Church has been clothed from the days of Gregory. 
It is regulated to a nicety in every particular, from 
the cadences of the officiating priest to the elaborate 
responses of the choir. Nota single note is extem- 
porized, as might be imagined, but all adjusted to the 
one profound effect. 

Another important advance dates from St. Greg- 
ory. Though he himself may have had nothing to do 
with it, yet the influence of his system was such that 
it begat an intense desire upon the part of those who 
made use of it, to invent some method of preserving 
the melodies which it evoked. A sentence from St. 
Isodore, the friend of St. Gregory, indicates both that 
this was impossible in his day and also that he longed 
to make it possible. He says: ‘‘Unless sounds are 
retained in the memory they perish because they can- 
not be written.’’ 

But how should they be written? The question 
was answered in the invention of a strange system of 
signs, known as zeumés, from the Greek word meaning 
‘‘wind,’’ or ‘‘a breath.’’ These neumes were written 


264 The History and Use of Hymns 


above the syllables to which they were sung and re- 
sembled somewhat the characters employed to-day in 
phonography. There was a vast variety of them, and 
it is hard to understand how they could have been 
mastered. 

About the beginning of the tenth century a certain 
improvement was introduced of immense significance, 
inasmuch as it indicates the first element in the crea- 
tion of the modern staff. Up to this time the neumes 
indicated only the rise and fall of the voice, but with 
nothing whatever to indicate the pitch. The melody 
might be pitched high or low, at the pleasure of the 
singer. But now a red line was drawn across the 
page and the neumes arranged with reference to this 
line, which always represented the note F, correspond- 
ing to the F below our middle C. Neumes thus writ- 
ten appeared thus; the corresponding syllables being 
written below: 


Red uf 
Rei” Soy Cann Merce em ~ 


One note being thus fixed, the location of other notes 
might be more readily determined. 

But no sooner was one note located than it became 
a speedy and easy matter to locate asecond. At first 
this second line was yellow and stood for the note C, 
the middle C of the modern keyboard. But as it was 
not convenient to employ colors on all occasions, both 
lines were soon drawn in black with the letters C and 
F placed opposite, thus: 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period I 265 


EE 
aa /e wh ¥ 
x ‘ 


why 





Here, then, was the origin of the modern bass and 
treble clefs—the G clef having been added subse- 
quently. 


HUCBALD 


But as the one line suggested a second, so the two 
lines suggested the use of as many as the need of the 
musician required. Hucbald, a monk of Flanders, 
in the tenth century (930) discarded the use of neumes 
and added the needed lines. He used as many lines 
as there were notes to be sung, placing the syllables 
between the lines, thus employing the spaces only. 
The letters T and S were placed at the end of the 
lines to indicate tones and semitones, and his method 
of notation appeared thus: 





This, of course, is very unlike our modern staff, but 
it certainly foreshadows it. We might say its inven- 
tion could not now be long delayed. 

But Hucbald must be credited with still another 
and equally important invention, full of even greater 
promise and significance, in which the homophonic 


266 The History and Use of Hymns 


era is brought to its close, and harmony, in several 
parts, begins to appear. 

He arranged a voice accompaniment to the chant, 
which beginning on the same note as the chant, con- 
tinued a fourth or fifth below and ended on the same 


note asit began. In another form it consisted simply 
in prolonging one note—the tonic, for example, while 
the chanting voice moved up and down. It is repre- 
sented thus: 





This sounds harsh—almost unendurable to modern 
ears—but it was a marvelous thing to those upon 
whose ears had never fallen the sounds that attempted 
harmony. 

Hucbald’s system was approved by the church, and 
called the sacred organum. Another method was 
soon introduced, employing other notes, but as it 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period I 267 


lacked ecclesiastical sanction it was known as the 
profane organum. 

Hucbald was most industrious and enthusiastic in 
promoting his inventions. He might well have been. 
They contained the seeds of more splendid fruit than 
anything of which he had ever dreamed. A period 
of rapid and wonderful development was at hand, 
which we consider in the next chapter. 


CHAPTER XVI 


THE HISTORY OF HYMN-TUNES 
PERIOD TI 


The Development of Polyphony 


We know that the inventions of Hucbald promoted 
much experiment by the musicians of the tenth cen- 
tury, but little came of it until we reach the year 
1024. 


GUIDO ARENTINO 


Another monk now appears, the inmate of a Bene- 
dictine convent near Ravenna, Guido Arentino by 
name, or Guido of Arezzo. He is credited by tradi- 
tion with the invention of the musical scale or staff, 
though this is denied him by certain authorities. Per- 
haps he only represented the results of a hundred 
years of progress, but at all events a number of 
most important improvements are associated with ~ 
his name, and with him the second period fairly 
begins. 

To the first six tones of the scale, called a ‘‘hexa- 
chord,’’ Guido applied the syllables uz, ve, mz, fa, 
sol, la. These were taken from a hymn to John the 
Baptist, dating from the sixth century, which was 
very generally sung at the time. The syllables were 
the first of each line. 

268 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 269 


U¢ queant laxis. 
fesonare fibris. 
Mira gestorum 
famuli tuorum. 
Solve polluti. 
Labii reatum. 

Sancte Johannes. 


Each one of these syllables represented a definite 
note—the syllable was, so to speak, its name. This 
will more plainly appear by reference to the hymn as 
set to music. 


See 


Ci que-ant lax is Ke-so- na-re_ fi-bris 


2 ee Se 


Mi - ra ges- to-rum Fa-mu-li tu - o-rum. 











Sanc - [- te inf - han -_ nes. 


A glance at the above will show the relation of 
these notes to each other. In this instance the hexa- 
chord of six notes began on C. Uz was C, re was 
D, and so on. Other hexachords, however, began 
on F and on G. This involved certain difficulties, 
because the notes were also named by letters, as they 
had been from the days of Gregory, and therefore the 
letters and syllables did not always correspond, thus: 


270 The History and Use of Hymns 





= QV Se 7 

| «ESD _ AP BAS 

, ie! « AALS PR 

10) Rix ETS 
bade 


& 





ut re mi | fa sol Ia 


ut re mi fa sol la 


The art of changing the syllables with the change of 
the hexachords was called solmzzation. Another 
change, involving the position of the semitones, which 
it is not necessary to explain, was called mutation. 
These two arts comprised the great invention of Guido. 

It was a startling innovation. It simplified musi- 
cal instruction to a very remarkable degree. Com- 
pared with our present methods and judged by our 
standards it was awkward and inefficient. Guido’s 
scale had only six notes. It lacked the one reimain- 
ing to complete it; but that note, with its designat- 
ing syllable, Sz, was not added until the end of the 
sixteenth century, U7? being also discarded for Do, 
except in France where it is still retained. 

But we must not judge Guido by the standards of 
to-day, but by those which preceded him. As he 
himself declared, the methods of his age were such 
that one might sing a hundred years and still need 
careful drill in order to render a simple response. 

Guido accomplished what one has well called 
‘‘hearing with the eyes’’ or “‘seeing with the ears.’’ 
The choir-boys under his instruction were able to 
sing at sight melodies with which they were previ- 
ously unfamiliar. Their hearers were confused and 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 271 


amazed. It was a work beyond their comprehen- 
sion. 

His brother monks seemed to have connected 
some occult influence with his work and they pro- 
cured his expulsion from the convent. This came to 
the ears of the pope, who became sufficiently inter- 
ested to summon Guido to Rome. Here he demon- 
strated his system so practically that the pope himself 
succeeded in ‘‘hearing with his eyes’’ and was able 
to sing musical phrases from the manuscript without 
aleader. This made Guido’s reputation and estab- 
lished his permanent influence. He was invited to 
remain in Rome to instruct the clergy in the principles 
of his system, and though he was unable to do so, as 
the climate was unendurable to him, he returned with 
honor to his own convent. Thenceforth his reforms 
were accepted and the new era in musical develop- 
ment was inaugurated. 


COUNTERPOINT 


While all this was in progress another great reform 
in music was being developed. It passed through 
several stages, which need not be described. It was 
not therefore associated with any single name, but 
was probably the result of general effort. Thereby 
the organum of Hucbald was to be greatly modified 
and a long stride taken towards modern harmony. 
This was dzscan¢, meaning, as the word implies, some- 
thing apart from the song. It was a second voice- 
part sung at the same time as the principal part. In 
order to its performance the chant in use was sung in 


272 The History and Use of Hymns 


long notes in regular measures, that the singer of the 
discant might be sure to accommodate himself to it. 
The leading part was therefore called zexor, from the 
Latin teneo, to hold. It was also known as the cantus 
jirmus—the fixed song. Thenceforth the tenor was 
the leading part and carried the air until the days of 
Palestrina. Singers then might improvise any melody 
they chose for the discant. The most curious, and 
to our notion comical, results were thus obtained; but 
it must be borne in mind that there was as yet no 
notion of what we call ‘‘chords,’’ and therefore no 
attempt at harmony. The solemn words of the chant 
might be sung at the same time and in connection 
with some trivial or even indecent secular song, the 
words of the chant being all-important and those of 
the discant being lightly regarded. Some of the 
bolder musicians even attempted to unite two second- 
ary songs with the canto firmo; but as the number 
increased the task became the more difficult. It was 
therefore seldom attempted. 

As the discant was never written down we have no 
positive means of judging of its success. But it would 
seem that it must have become, in skillful hands, 
more mellifluous than we may imagine. 

Discant, however, though very useless in itself, 
filled a most important part in the transition from 
organum to counterpoint, and so was a signal advance 
toward the creation of our modern hymn-tunes. 

And now that counterpoint is so nearly ready to 
appear, let us seek to understand its character and uses. 
In the olden times the notes were called ‘‘points, ’’ 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 273 


because they were pricked into the parchment. Writ- 
ten music was on this account called ‘‘prick-song.’’ 
A ‘‘counter-point’’ was therefore a counter-note; that 
is, a note set over against another note. But the 
succession of counter-notes must have their own move- 
ment or melody. They must furnish something more 
than a mere voice accompaniment, such as a natural 
bass. In some modern hymn-tunes the parts other 
than the ‘‘air’? may form perfect chords with it, but 
nothing else. The harmony may be good, but the 
counterpoint defective. In other tunes the parts are 
free and rich, even the bass moving independently 
and melodiously. In such counterpoint is developed. 

Take, for example, the tunes known as Awzng or 
Emmelar (Merrial), and let each part be played or 
sung by itself alone, that its own movement may be 
clearly discerned. It will not only reveal the charac- 
ter of the counterpoint, but also the place which it 
holds in modern musical composition. 

Johann Sebastian Bach (born 1685) is the greatest 
master of counterpoint. The character of his music 
and its application to the hymn-tune is indicated in 
the following selection from his Passzon Music, the 
tune being known as Passzon Chorale: 





274. The History and Use of Hymns 





Such, then, is counterpoint. It is the natural—almost 
the inevitable—outgrowth of discant. But before it 
can make its appearance other improvements must be 
made whereby the connecting link shall be supplied. 


FRANCO 


A third monk now appears upon the scene, a 
worthy successor of Hucbald and Guido, Franco of 
Cologne. Franco wrote the earliest book on meas- 
ured or timed music, about 1175 A.D. Until he pro- 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 275 


pounded his theories there had been no way of indicat- 
ing the length of any given note. It must either be 
borne in memory or governed by the taste of the 
singer. But it will be readily understood that there 
could be no adaptation of one part to another until 
the length of every note was clearly and positively 
indicated. Two parts could not be played together, 
and much less could they be sung. Harmony was 
impossible. 

Franco had three signs by which to express the 
length of his notes, thus: 


. ¢ 


The first sign indicated a note three times as long as 
the second. The second sign indicated a note three 
times the length of the third. This was because all 
music of a sacred character was, at that period, sung 
in triple time. As there were three persons in the 
Trinity, this was held to be the only form permissible 
for religious themes. The value of Franco’s notes 
may therefore be expressed thus: 


7. = 








The ‘‘long’’ note—equal to three of the ‘‘breve,’’ 


" =e 


or to nine of the ‘‘semi-breve’’; 


276 The History and Use of Hymns 


This was soon found to be too awkward and incon- 
venient for practical purposes, and therefore another 
note-sign was added, while the length of each was so 
altered that each possessed the value of two of the 
notes immediately below it, thus: 


ae sd 
Fees ab wien 
Triple rhythm kept the field for a time in connec- 
tion with the quadruple. It was known as ‘‘perfect 
time’’ and quadruple as ‘‘imperfect time.’? When 


triple time was used it was indicated by the signature 
of a circle, thus: 


——————— 


When common time was used, the circle was broken, 


thus: 


which is still used when common time is indicated, 
and the letter C is employed. Originally, however, 
it was not the letter C, but the broken circle. 

Certain variations of Franco’s forms were subse- 
quently introduced, which need not be indicated, 
resulting finally in such as we employ to-day. 

And now, at last, the way was open to full har- 
mony. The location of the notes might be indicated, 
their duration could be determined, the musician 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 277 


“heard with his eyes’’ both their pitch and _ their 
length and the organum followed by discant had sug- 
gested the adjustment of part to part. Discant need 
no longer be improvised, as it must be heretofore; it 
could now be written. So note was pricked opposite 
note and incipient counterpoint began. 

At first it was very formal and severe, to suit the 
long notes of the chants to which the discant had been 
sung. This was called p/azz counterpoint—one note 
set against another, thus: 


Sas ssaeaaas 








Then two notes against one, thus: 


ae =e a 


Then it became syncopated and florid, thus: 





278 The History and Use of Hymns 


Many other variations were introduced. It was a 
wonderful revelation to the musicians of that age. 
The capabilities of harmonic measures, thus set before 
them, fairly intoxicated them with pleasure, and they 
began to play with notes and chords as children with 
new toys in which all their inventive talent is evoked. 
They inverted the counterpoint, placing it first in the 
bass and then in the treble, thus: 


a = 





They made still further variations. At first only two 
voices were employed, but with increasing dexterity 
others were added, until even eight or more parts were 
written on one score. 

Then came the ‘‘canon,’’ a musical composition 
in which the part of the first voice is exactly repeated 
by other voices, each beginning at a separate time. 
This was the invention of a member of the Belgian 
school, to which the development of counterpoint is 
to be chiefly credited, Guillaume Dufay, about the 
opening of the fifteenth century. 


3 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 279 


The canon led the way for a still greater variety 
and more extravagance of expression. It began ina 
simple manner, as follows: 





This form, being brought to conclusion, was called a 
finite canon. 

Then came the ‘‘infinite canon,’ 
continue forever, as follows: 


5] 


which might 





But still more fantastic forms were invented by these 
merry musicians. They wrote canons that could be 


280 The History and Use of Hymns 


sung as well backwards as forwards, called ‘‘cancri- 
zans,’’ or even upside down, or both, thus: 


Forwards. 





ee 
om é-g-0 = 6 


Backwards and Nats 








Canons were also written in curious forms, such 
as triangles and circles. Some were even composed 
in such a shape as to embody a monogram or suggest 
an enigma. Music was, however, attaining its major- 
ity. It was in the stage corresponding to that of the 
youth just approaching manhood—full of nonsense, 
experiment, and pretension, the subject of vicious 
temptation and frequent imposition, but still full of 
hope and promise and passing rapidly to the glorious 
era of self-mastery and service. 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 281 


The more complex and intricate the arrangement, 
the greater the success of the composer. All kinds 
of technical problems were attempted, difficulty was 
added to difficulty, and musicians reveled in the mere 
mechanical effort involved in a multitude of parts and 
a variety of chords. But out of it all came the knowl- 
edge of the relation of tones and consequent harmonic 
combinations. All that is needed now is some master- 
hand to grasp all these wild and untamed elements 
and subject them to control. The materials were all 
furnished, the organizing mind alone was lacking. 


PALESTRINA 


In the good providence of God the hand and mind 
were forthcoming. 

Giovanni Pierluigi, the son of a poor peasant, was 
born at Palestrina—the ancient Praeneste, a town in 
the Apennines, twenty miles from Rome,—A.D., 
1514. We know nothing of his boyhood. “ When he 
was twenty-six years old he came to Rome to study 
music. Here he came under the influence of Orlando 
di Lasso, the last and greatest of that Belgian school 
which had done so much in the development of 
counterpoint. Returning to his own town, Giovanni, 
who is ever after to be himself known by its name, as 
Palestrina, became chapel master in the village church, 
and so continued for ten years. In 1551 he returned 
to Rome, where for a number of years he was busy 
as composer and director. Meanwhile the Council of 
Trent, in 1552, had resolved upon musical reform. 
It was sadly needed. Counterpoint was running mad, 


282 The History and Use of Hymns 


not only with all the extravagances of which we have 
spoken, but with many of the abuses inherited from 
the age of discant. The solemn chant had become 
in many instances a trivial madrigal, and the sacred 
words of the Glorza or Credo, in the leading part, 
were accompanied by secular or even lewd strains 
from profane sources. 

But no one was found to direct the reform until it 
was determined to appoint Palestrina, who by this 
time had become chapel master of the Vatican. Pope 
Pius IV. thereupon directed him to compose a mass 
which should be the embodiment of the reform. 
Palestrina accepted the task. Master as he was of 
all the contrivances known to his contemporaries, he 
was also a true scholar, a refined artist, and a devout 
churchman. He particularly excelled the musicians 
of his day in his gift of melody, which invests his 
work with special artistic value. As Louis C. Elson 
says, ‘‘In the use of choral-like simplicity Palestrina | 
causes the commentator involuntarily to draw a com- 
parison between him and John Sebastian Bach. 
Palestrina may stand as the typical Catholic, as Bach 
represents the earnest Protestant, inmusic.’’ He pro- 
ceeded to subject all the current devices to the prin- 
ciples of divine praise, and produced a work which has 
since continued to be the model of sacred musical 
composition. It is known as the ‘‘Missa Papz Mar- 
celli,’’ the ‘‘Mass of Pope Marcellus’’—so called 
from the name of the immediate predecessor of Pius 
IV. 

The work was received with the greatest enthusi- 


History of Hymn-Tunes. Period II 283 


asm. Some even pronounced it a miracle. Palestrina 
himself claimed that he had produced ‘‘a new style,”’ 
as indeed he had. With him the era of the develop- 
ment of harmony closes and the modern era begins. 
Palestrina is to the reformed music what Luther is to 
the reformed faith. 

Little remained for his successors to accomplish 
except to carry on the work which he had inaugu- 
rated, with improvement, perhaps, in form, but with 
no change in fundamental principle. 

The foundation principle in Palestrina’s music was 
embodied in what he called the ‘‘plain’’ or ‘‘familiar 
style’ (stzle famighare), of which the following is an 
example: 


SOPRANO. 





| 


284 The History and Use of Hymns 











- sti nos; re - de mine - sti nos. 


ee 
ae ee es 
cabs we 





pre - ti -o - sis— 


toll bel, ale 


San - gui-ne tu-o DE ia ti- 0-sis < si mo. 





History of Hymn-Tunes.  Pertod II 285 


‘*This style,’’ as Professor Dickinson remarks, ‘‘is 
peculiarly tender and gracious, and may be found 
reflected in the sweetest of modern Latin and English 
hymn-tunes. It is suggestive of the confidence and 
repose of spirit which is the most refined essence of 
these vouonal mood, .../.). 7. The most obvious fea- 
ture of the design is that each part appears quite inde- 
pendent of the others. The melody does not lie in 
one voice, while the others act as an accompaniment, 
but each part is as much a melody as any other, the 
voices apparently not subject to any common law of 
accent or rhythm, but each busy with its own indi- 
vidual progress. The whole effect is measured, sub- 
dued, solemn.’’ 

The modern hymn-tune is then upon its way and 
there is a remarkable conspiracy of providential agen- 
cies and circumstances in preparation of its coming. 
Palestrina himself will contribute the most effective 
material in his general influence, and his very music 
will also survive in some of its noblest illustrations. 
The following arrangement will enable the student to 
judge the dignified and enduring character of his 
work. The arrangement is by W. H. Monk; but it 
follows the original very closely. 





Al-le-lu - ia! Alle- Iu - ia! A-le-lu - ia! 
a Fane ey hema 
ms peer ae 








a 


i 





286 The History and Use of Hymns 






| 
1. Thestrifeis o’er, the bat - tle done; The vic- to- 
- 


poo 


ry of life is won; The songof  tri-umph 





The student will observe that in this chapter we 
have joined together the names of Palestrina and 
Bach. They are particularly worthy of his special 
study. But since Protestants owe more to Bach than 
to any other composer of all time, he should make a 
special study of his life and work, even if others be 
neglected. 


CHAPTER XVII 


THE APPEARING OF THE HYMN- 
TUNE. PERIOD III 


The student will observe the historic period to 
which we have now been brought. It is the last 
quarter of the sixteenth century. The Protestant 
Reformation is in progress... The growth of the 
Huguenot faith is exciting the malice that shall soon 
break forth in the» Massacre of St. Bartholomew. 
The Church of England has been established. Prussia 
is rising into power. Holland is about to revolt from 
Spain. The new world of thought and action has 
appeared and the people are to have a voice in both 
church and state. Such was the juncture in which 
the modern hymn-tune appeared. It was but one of 
the many exponents of the age, the product and the 
index of those fresh and mighty influences which cul- 
minated in the sixteenth century. This is well ex- 
Preeeea Dyn Ly tie Parry, Mus:* Doc.,.: in “his 
Evolution of the Art of Music. ‘‘The harmonic 
phase of music has been exactly coeval with the devel- 
opment of that particular kind of intellectual disposi- 
tion which continued to manifest itself more and more 
as modern Europe slowly emerged from the chaos 
which followed the collapse of the Roman empire. It 
is as if harmony, the higher intellectual factor in 
music, began with the first glimmerings of modern 

287 


288 The History and Use of Hymns 


mental development and grew more and more elabo- 
rate and comprehensive and more adapted to high 
degrees of expression and design, simultaneous with 
the growth of men’s intellectual powers. As long as 
the church reigned supreme, harmony remained more 
or less in the background, and made its appearance 
mainly as the result of the combination of the separate 
melodies which various voices sung at once. But 
towards the end of the sixteenth century it began to 
assert itself as the basis of certain new principles of 
design, and in the succeeding century, as secular life 
grew more and more independent of ecclesiastical 
influences, it became more and more the center and 
basis upon which the whole system of artistic musical 
design was founded.”’’ 

The hymn-tune then must be regarded as one of 
the most expressive features of the age which pro- 
duced it. Its harmony, its intellectuality, its popular 
uses, and its sacred character all have the most pro- 
found meaning. They speak of awakening mind, of 
larger brotherhood, of the sovereignty of the people, 
and of vital religion. Its appearance must be also 
explained in connection with hymnody, for here is 
wedlock of the most positive kind. The hymn and 
the hymn-tune are a substantial unity. The one with- 
out the other has a barren existence, is but half a self, 
and perishes in its unproductiveness. 


GERMAN CHORALS 


Most of the best tunes in common use to-day are 
from English composers, but we must go back to 


The Hymn-Tune. Period III 289 


Germany for their origin. The Lutheran Reforma- 
tion was the fountain from which flowed the main 
stream of sacred song, though it has been greatly 
enriched by tributaries, which, taking their rise in the 
same sources, had flowed on for a time in separate 
channels. 

The Catholic Church had consistently and persist- 
ently confined the office of song toa select body of 
priests and minor clergy; the people had no share in 
it. This was regarded as a liturgical necessity, inti- 
mately connected with the Romish theory of the 
priesthood. 

This theory was rejected by Protestantism, and 
with it all its corollaries. Congregational song, there- 
fore, became an expression of the very faith of the 
Reformers, not a mere form of their worship. Luther 
was the first to perceive its relations to his doctrines 
and the first to promote its use. Fortunately he was 
both poet and musician himself, and capable of direct- 
ing the reform. 

But with the Catholic theory he rejected also the 
Catholic forms. The hymns of the church were writ- 
ten in Latin; he would write his in the vernacular. 
They were elegant and scholarly and breathed the 
atmosphere of the cloister; his should be plain and 
simple, and breathe the air of practical life. They 
were sung in stately Gregorian tones, scarcely heard 
or used beyond the sacred walls of the church; his 
should be more like the strains which the people sung 
in the woods and fields. He himself said, ‘‘I am not 
of the opinion that through the Gospel all arts should 


290 The History and Use of Hymns 


be banished and driven away, as some zealots want 
to make us believe, but I wish to see all arts, prin- 
cipally music, in the service of Him who gave and 
created them.’’ So the new epoch was ushered in 
and the German chorals began to be. 

The Germans were singers from the earliest times. 
Even before their conversion to Christianity they had a 
vast number of religious songs which they sung in praise 
of their heathen deities, and their songs for festivals 
and similar occasions were equally numerous. In the 
era before the Reformation many of these tunes had 
been sung to religious songs, and although they were 
discountenanced by the church they could not be 
wholly repressed. (See Chapter III.) The people 
therefore had their own hymns, even before Luther, 
but they were separated from the hymns of the church 
by an impassable chasm. 

The wisdom and skill of Luther and his associates 
appear in this, that they made use of the popular tunes 
for religious purposes, not exactly by employing them, 
but by employing their method. His work was sub- 
stantially twofold: the reconstruction of the music of 
the Catholic Church and the adaptation of popular 
melodies, so that both might be harmoniously used in 
worship. A number of Gregorian chants were em- 
ployed without special alteration. Tunes were con- 
structed upon Gregorian models; such, for example, as 
the celebrated 47x’ Feste Burg, and the secular folk- 
song furnished others. 

These tunes were called chorals because they were 
written purely for the voice and were sung without 


The Hymn-Tune. Period III 291 


accompaniment. At first they were not harmonized 
-——all voices sang in unison. Later, when the devel- 
opment of counterpoint began, the congregation sang 
the melody only and the choir supplied the parts. 
Then, as the knowledge of music progressed, they 
were much improved and elaborated. 

Some of our most inspiring tunes in common use 
are the product of these German chorals, and there is 
little finer music for congregational purposes. We 
have already referred (in Chapter III.) to one of the 
best illustrations from Johann Criiger, who was the 
author of a large number. 

It was written in 1648, and is set to Martin Rink- 
art’s hymn as translated by Miss Winkworth. 





292 The History and Use of Hymns 





The illustration of Bach’s music given in the pre- 
ceding chapter is itself an arrangement of an old Ger- 
man choral by Hans Leo Hassler, composed in 1601. 
Ein’ Feste Burg is too well known to the student to 
require our repeating it. These must suffice as exam- 
ples of that very large body of song which Germany 
contributed to Protestant worship. 


FRENCH TUNES 


But Germany, though it was the primal source and 
chief agent in this work, was not alone in it. France 
and Geneva, so closely allied, as we have already 
seen, took an important part in it. The psalms of 
the Marot-Beza collection were set to old French 
tunes as early as 1552. They soon came into very 


The Hymn-Tune. Period III 293 


general use, and were widely sung by French-speak- 
ing Protestants. An interesting account of their 
influence upon the people of Geneva is given by a 
visitor to that city in 1557, who writes of the large 
attendance upon Protestant worship, where ‘‘each 
one draws from his pocket a small book which con- 
tains the psalms with notes and out of full hearts, in 
the native speech, the congregation sings before and 
afterthe sermon. Every one testifies tome how great 
consolation and edification is derived from this cus- 
tom.’’ 

It 1565 a collection of hymn-tunes was published 
in Paris by Claude Goudimel, a Netherlander, one of 
the last of the great school of Belgian contrapuntists 
and one of the first musicians of his age. He had 
given much attention to the purification of counter- 
point and had written music substantially in the ‘‘plain 
style’’ even before Palestrina had named and devel- 
oped it. In 1540 he was at the head of a music 
school at Rome, and Palestrina was one of his pupils. 
Coming to France, he attached himself to the Hugue- 
nots, and thereby incurred the hostility of their perse- 
cutors. He was a “‘shining mark’’ for their malice 
and perished in the massacre of St. Bartholomew. 

Goudimel’s faith and training fitted him to become 
a leader in fixing the forms of Protestant praise and 
his influence was incalculable. Many of his tunes 
were derived from secular sources. Others were 
arrangements of Gregorian chants. One of the latter 
was Old Hundred, which appears for the first time in 
his collection, but set to the 134th Psalm. It was 


294 The History and Use of Hymns 


afterward embraced, as we have seen, in the Anglo- 
Genevan psalter, united to the 100th Psalm, with 
which it has been associated ever since. 

There can be no doubt that there was an inter- 
change of these new tunes between Germany and 
France, while the indebtedness of the English, and 
more particularly the Scotch psalmody to these 
sources has been already noted. 

The effect, however, upon English tune-music was 
not altogether salutary. The initial impulse was 
vigorous and hopeful; but the development was soon 
arrested. The Calvinistic Protestants of Geneva and 
Scotland, on conscientious grounds, repressed the 
artistic element in music as savoring of papacy, and 
consequently made little headway. Their hymn- 
tunes were not ‘‘hymn-tunes”’ at all, but psalm-tunes. 
The first sacred song-books in English were composed 
exclusively of the psalms in meter, and the tunes cor- 
responded. English tune-music, therefore, like Eng- 
lish hymnody was delayed for more than a hundred 
years, awaiting that burst of praise which was intro- 
duced in hymnody with Watts and Wesley, and which 
in turn promoted the development of music suited to 
itself. The psalms of Sternhold and Hopkins with 
the ‘‘apt notes to sing them withal’’ was the first com- 
plete psalm-book with tunes published in England. 
This was in 1562. The music was simple and severe, 
and was written in one part only, but the English 
Protestants were chiefly dependent upon it for one 
hundred and thirty-four years. 


The Hymn-Tune. Pertod III 295 


ANGLICAN MUSIC 


In the mean time, however, a great work was in 
progress in English sacred music in general, which 
gives it historic interest exceeded only by Italy 
and Germany, and which is increased by the fact that 
this music was very largely indigenous. It had 
already developed the Anglican chant, a decided 
modification of the Gregorian, as any one may note 
who is familiar with what remains of it in the services 
of the Episcopal Church, and thus established for 
English music a character of its own. 

Then came the Reformation. But the Reforma- 
tion in England effected altogether different results in 
church music from those achieved on the Continent, 
from the fact that in England it developed along two 
diverse lines, which we may call the Anglican and the 
Puritan. The Anglican clung to many of the old 
forms of worship; the Puritan disowned them all. So 
that Anglican music followed Catholic precedents, 
while Puritan music struck out upon a new path. 

The hymn-tune suffered and was long delayed in 
consequence; but when at last there came a better 
understanding and wiser musical co-operation, those, 
splendid tunes began to appear which are to-day the 
glory and the joy of all English-speaking worshipers. 

In the opening of the Reformation the first decided 
development of the chant was the Anglican anthem; 
that is, the axztz-hymn, or alternate hymn. At first 
the anthem was a comparatively simple composition, 
differing from the chant in that its parts were sung 


296 The History and Use of Hymns 


responsively and were somewhat more elaborate and 
florid. But its limitations were emphatic, as it was 
sung without any accompaniment. Soon, however, 
with the rapid improvement and miultiplicaton of 
musical instruments, accompaniments were added, 
until in some cases they were of equal value with the 
voice parts, and thus gradually the English anthem 
with which we are familiar was evolved. 

The English Church, however, could not long con- 
tinue to practice a musical system which, like the 
Catholic, deprived the people of the privilege of con- 
certed song. As they had their ‘‘Common Prayer,”’ 
they must also be given their common praise. So 
in process of time the early form of cathedral service 
was modified, to adapt it to general parochial use. 

In such cases the service was not intoned, but 
rendered in the natural voice, and even if the an- 
them was retained—as it might not be—metrical 
versions of the psalms were sung at proper intervals. 

This, led to a development of hymn-tune melo- 
dies on a different basis from that of the Genevans, 
and thus began the contributions of the Anglican 
Church to this form of sacred song. 


THOMAS TALLIS 


The most notable name in this connection is that 
of Thomas Tallis, called the ‘‘Father of English 
Cathedral Music.’’ He was a contemporary of 
Palestrina, and with this single exception, the most 
distinguished and capable musician of his day. He 
was chapel-master to Henry VIII. and retained the 


The Hymn-Tune. Period III 297 


place under Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth, until 
his death, in 1585. His contributions to the develop- 
ment of the art of music and to the general store of 
musical compositions were prodigious, yet he is best 
known to-day by his labors in behalf of common praise. 
He was an indefatigable student of counterpoint and 
harmony, and arranged many of the old plain-song 
chants for part-singing. Indeed, he is the father of 
the English harmonized chant. 

His best work for posterity, however, was done in 
his hymn-tunes. They were written by him in four 
parts—the melody being, however, in the tenor ac- 
cording to the custom not as yet displaced. 

In 1560 John Daye published his ‘‘Morning and 
Evening Prayer and Communion.’’ Tallis con- 
tributed to this book eight tunes, several of which 
may be found in our collections. One of these, 
slightly modified to suit the modern distribution of 
parts, is a favorite tune to-day with many congrega- 
tions, and is found in most hymn and tune books. 
As it is set to Bishop Ken’s evening hymn, ‘‘Glory 
to thee, my God, this night,’’ it is known as Zalis’s 
Evening Hymn. 

It will be observed that the collection in which this 
hymn first appeared was published five years before 
Goudimel’s and two years before Sternhold and 
Hopkins’. This should be particularly noted as in- 
dicative of the two lines—Puritan and Anglican—along 
which the hymn-tune was being developed. Daye’s 
psalter is the first collection of hymn-tunes in which 
the music 1s written in four parts. Tallis’ Evening 


298 The History and Use of Hymns 


Hymn, therefore, possesses certain features of interest 
surpassing those of all other tunes now employed in 
Protestant worship, so that while we refer the student 
to the collections in use for illustrations of well-known 
tunes, we do well to introduce here this remarkable 
composition, in its present form.* 


are ei memerteeeteo! 


1. Glo-ry to Thee,my God, this night, For all the blessings of the light; 






keep mae of kings, B sneath sath own almighty wings, A-men. 


If due attention has been given to the a 
history a world of instruction is afforded us with re- 
gard to the most important features of hymn-tune 
music. Let this composition be compared with O/d 
Hundred and we perceive at once the characteristic 
differences of the Puritan and Anglican methods. 

Old Hundred and Tallis’ Hymn are respectively 
the oldest representatives of two different styles, 
which were at first antagonistic. They still have their 
peculiar illustrations and ardent champions. The 


* In modern hymnals ‘‘All praise’’ is substituted for the word 
**Glory’’ for the sake of the musical accent. 


The Hymn-Tune. Period III 299 


massive dignity of the one is set over against the flow- 
ing freedom of the other. The simple, radical chords 
of the first are in sharp contrast to the contrapuntal 
variety of the second. Which is the most suitable to 
public worship? The question has excited long and 
learned discussion. It is enough for the student, at 
this point, to observe the comparison, and to connect 
in his mind the various illustrations of the two forms, 
even in their extreme manifestations, from the most 
severe upon the one hand to the most gleeful upon the 
other. 

Yet it ought to be said, that while Tallis’ hymn 
is a fine exponent of the Anglican style it should not 
be inferred that Tallis departed from legitimate ecclesi- 
astical forms. He was as truly devoted to sacred 
principles as Palestrina, and most of his compositions 
are written in what might be called the ‘‘familiar 
style.’’ The student should confirm this by refer- 
ence to some of his other tunes. He introduced no 
learned complications into his music merely to aston- 
ish his hearers. He endeavored by the use of pure, 
rich harmonies to promote true devotion, and never 
paraded his ingenuity at the expense of intrinsic truth- 
fulness to his high themes. The Anglican style 
which he introduced was not therefore another genus, 
so to speak, but only another species within the same 
genus to which tunes like Old Hundred belong, and 
therefore the chief controversy is not between the 
Anglican and the Puritan, but between the sacred and 
the profane. Ere long this distinction began to be 
observed and the results appeared in the best tunes 


300 =©6 The History and Use of Hymns 


which we now possess. It ought to be thoroughly 
understood and observed to-day, that our services 
may be thoroughly purged of many tunes which are 
entirely inappropriate to the worship of God, while a 
liberal latitude is allowed for tunes of various styles 
and expressive of manifold sentiments, while yet de- 
votion is never displaced nor reverence forgotten. 

The history of English church music in general 
would be sadly incomplete without some reference to 
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625), and Henry Purcell - 
(1658-1695). But as their names are not particularly 
associated with the development of the hymn-tune we 
must omit any reference to their influential labors. 
The student, however, is urged to inform himself 
concerning them. 

With Thomas Tallis, then, the modern hymn-tune 
may be said to have appeared. The work of perfect- 
ing and adapting it yet remains. This will be dis- 
cussed in the next chapter. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


THE PERFECTING OF THE HYMN- 
TUNE 


The work of Thomas Tallis in hymn-tune music 
was bright with promise, and when we reach this 
period we feel confident that the development, now 
brought to such a high degree, will be rich and rapid. 
But our confidence is at once disappointed, and for 
several generations the promise is simply promise and 
nothing more. The reason will appear to any one 
who consults a good historical atlas. In. France he 
reads of Richelieu and Louis XIV. and the Revoca- 
tion of the Edict of Nantes and the War of the Span- 
ish Succession; in Germany, of the Thirty Years’ 
War and Frederick the Great; in Great Britain, of the 
Spanish Armada and the Gunpowder Plot and Crom- 
well and the Restoration. Nothing was done for the 
hymn-tune during this period. In fact, there was sad 
and positive retrogression. 


THE OLD PSALM-TUNES 


The Scotch Psalter of 1635 contained one hundred 
and forty-three tunes. Eight of these were ‘‘Rap- 
ports’’ (from the French ‘‘rapporter,’’ to carry back, 
i. e., fugue-tunes). Forty-two were taken from the 
Genevan Psalter and the rest from various musicians 
on the Continent and in Great Britain. Fifteen years 

301 


302 The History and Use of Hymns 


later (1650) the authorized version of Rous was pub- 
lished, but without tunes. Music was thereby turned 
adrift, to seek refuge with such individuals as might 
afford it a shelter, and consequently many tunes fell 
into disuse, were forgotten, and abandoned. The un- 
settled state of society, tossed to and fro in the strug- 
gles of commonwealth and monarchy, contributed to 
the deterioration of sacred song, and when the Res- 
toration came, in 1660, the only tunes in use were the 
few old melodies to which the Psalms were sung, and 
these grew less and less in number until not more 
than half a dozen were generally known. A variety 
of circumstances conspired to continue this state of 
things. Chief among these was the general use of 
Rous’ version of the Psalms, in which, with scarcely 
an exception, every number was rendered in common 
meter, compelling the use of a tune in similar measure. 

The custom of ‘‘lining out’’ the hymns, which was 
rendered imperative by the scarcity of books, confined 
the worshiper to tunes of a certain class and almost 
destroyed any musical charm which they might pos- 
sess, and the absence of instrumental accompaniment 
completed the barrenness of their performance. In 
addition to this, a certain veneration attached to the 
tunes that were distinctly associated with the Refor- 
mation and discredited the attempt to add to them. 
The Psalms in meter had come to the congregations 
united to certain tunes, which seemed to be a very 
part of them and to form an indivisible entity, thus 
inspiring such a spirit as was shown by the old family 
servant of Dr. Guthrie, who vowed she ‘‘wad sing 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 303 


the Psaams o’ Daavit to the tunes o’ Daavit and nae- 
thing else.’’ 

So between the pharisaic routine of the Estab- 
lished Church and the stolid dullness of the Dissent- 
ers, music remained 727 statu quo. Twelve ‘‘orthodox 
tunes’’ were sanctioned by the Scotch Presbyterians. 
Good tunes they were, however, well suited to their 
age and purpose; but sadly similar in general struc- 
ture and most monotonous. Burns refers to them with 
much feeling in his ‘‘Cotter’s Saturday Night,’’ and 
indicates the sentiments with which they were cher- 
ished and sung. 

‘‘Those strains that once did sweet in Zion glide 


He wales a portion with judicious care, 
And ‘Let us worship God,’ he says, with solemn air. 


‘They chant their artless notes in simple guise, 
They tune their hearts—by far the noblest aim; 
Perhaps Dundee’s wild, warbling measures rise, 
Or plaintive /artyrs, worthy of the name; 
Or noble #/ez beats the heavenward flame, 
The sweetest far of Scotia’s holy lays. 
Compared with these Italian trills are tame, 
The tickled ear no heart-felt raptures raise, 
Nae unison hae they with our Creator’s praise.’’ 


At least three of these oldest hymn-tunes should 
be examined: St. Wichael, Dundee, and Windsor. 
The first is taken from the Genevan Psalter, 1543. 
The last two are by Sir Christopher Tye, 1553.* 
They are characteristic of their age. All are written 
in common time, in radical chords, and without flour- 

* As we give no account of these composers, the student who 


desires to be informed concerning them should consult some 
cyclopedia of music and musicians, or any similar work. 


304 The History and Use of Hymns 


ishes of any kind. There is but one note to each syl- 
lable and but one syllable to each note, and they are 
therefore known as ‘‘sy//adic’’ tunes. Their form is 
the simplest possible, and in many respects the best. 
The movement is dignified and the effect impressive. 
Beyond all else they are singable by any congregation, 
and so popular, in the best sense of the word. 


THE NEW HYMN-TUNES 


The period of these old syllabic tunes continued 
for more than a hundred and fifty years, during which 
no advance was made. Occasionally we find in our 
present books a tune like S¢. Axn’s (also called St. 
Anne) composed near the close of the period. St. 
Ann’s was written by William Croft, 1708. But 
even such additions were few. 

With the first half of the eighteenth century, how- 
ever, came the beginnings of English hymnody, and 
with it came the new departure in hymn-tune music. 
The two must be associated in our minds. The old 
tunes, as we have already remarked, were psalm- 
tunes; the new ones will be “ymn-tunes. Hymns 
and hymn-tunes appear together. 

The modification of the old syllabic tune com- 
menced soon after Watts began to publish his hymns 
and was in full career during the life of Charles Wes- 
ley. Although most of the best hymn-tunes now in 
use were not the product of Methodism, yet Method- 
ism did more to promote them than any other religious 
movement except the Lutheran Reformation in Ger- 
many. Methodism created the demand. It furnished 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 305 


the hymns; and the tunes were forthcoming. As Pro- 
fessor Dickinson well remarks: ‘‘It was like a sun- 
burst, opening a brighter era. The enthusiastic 
welcome accorded by the Wesleys to popular music 
and the latitude permitted to free invention and adop- 
tion of hymns and tunes gave an impulse to a purer 
and nobler style of congregational song which has 
never been lost.’’ 

The new departure from the old forms was really 
a retrograde movement, though it did not so appear 
at first. A little later, as we shall see, it became 
apparent; still later was recognized and corrected and 
the perfection of the modern hymn-tune was reached. 

It has often been so in the progress of reform; the 
advance has been achieved, not in successive uniform 
improvements, but in a strange alternation of mistakes 
and master-strokes in which men have learned as 
much from their failures as from their successes. 

The change in form first appears in such tunes as 
Wareham, by William Knapp, 1738; Arlington, by 
Thomas A. Arne, 1762; Rockingham, Old, by Ed- 
ward Miller, 1790; and Duke Street, by John Hat- 
ton, 1793. 

The student should not fail to compare these tunes 
with those which preceded them, in the illustrations 
given above. It will be seen that the ruggedness of 
the old tunes has been much softened. The new 
tunes are more flowing and melodious. Three of 
them are written in triple time, which often produces 
lighter effects, but which is seldom as easily sung by 
the average worshiper. All of them introduce sliding 


306 The History and Use of Hymns 


or ‘‘passing’’ notes, which were unknown to the 
syllabic tunes, and are marked by more elaborate 
harmony. 

Let us observe that this is indicative of both 
advance and decline. The movement already bears 
some resemblance to that which we observed in the 
generation preceding Palestrina, when the very ex- 
cesses of counterpoint contributed to the develop- 
ment of harmony. Even so this shall contribute to 
the perfecting of the hymn-tune. This will appear 
more emphatically in the next step. 

The hymn-tune now passes into a third form and 
what we know as the fugue appears, in which there 
is an alternation of part with part, one or more voices 
being silent for a time—each taking up a line and 
repeating it in succession, generally with increasing 
force, and massed together in the closing strains: 
The best examples of these tunes to be found in our 
collections are Lenox, by Lewis Edson, 1782; and 
Geneva, by John Cole, 1800. An illustration will 
also be found in Axtzoch, arranged by Lowell Mason 
from Handel (1742) 1836. 

\. These, however, are scarcely examples of the 
form, since they are almost the only examples which 
the church has been willing to retain, and therefore 
they represent the form at its best. The fugue was 
often indefinitely extended until the tune became 
alittle anthem. The temptation to practice the art 
became the more enticing the more it was employed, 
until musicians introduced marvelous involutions, 
requiring the utmost dexterity in the singers who 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 307 


attempted them. For this reason these tunes be- 
came immensely popular and for a time were gener- 
ally cultivated and sung. We have the suspicion 
that the old-fashioned singing-schools of our grand- 
fathers’ days were supported chiefly in consequence 
of their devotion to this style of tunes and the pleas- 
ure which they afforded the pupils in the practice of 
vocal gymnastics. 

These tunes were not wholly bad, either in charac- 
ter or influence, as some musicians would have us 
believe. Most of them were, of course, bad art, as 
we have already indicated. The movement was 
retrograde. But they expressed the popular demand 
for a larger variety in congregational song, and indi- 
cated a real and commendable religious aspiration. 

A certain repetition is an invaluable aid to the 
power of all art, whether it be painting, oratory, 
architecture, or poetry. It has been recognized in 
music from the beginning. The Psalms of David are 
full of it. It is often the very secret of lyrical beauty 
and effect, and when it is associated with some sort 
of antiphony it is specially pleasing and impressive. 
But it must be kept within reverential bounds; it must 
be in accord with sacred subjects; and it must not 
exceed the limits of congregational capacity. While 
the worshiper should be furnished with a variety suffi- 
cient to express his different religious moods, there 
should be no concession to feelings or sentiments that 
are merely artistic or superficial. All this has an 
application to the revival of the fugue in our modern 
Gospel Songs, which will be noted in another chapter. 


308 The History and Use of Hymns 


The trouble with the old form of the fugue-tune 
was that it went too far. This fault appeared in 
two forms: it was so extended that it became inap- 
plicable to consecutive verses of a given hymn; and 
what was much worse, it served to express merely 
the ingenuity of the composer and the contortions 
of the singer’s voice. It degenerated into very 
musical rant. It was the ‘‘canon cancrizans’’ over 
again; with all its faults, but also with all its possi- 
bilities. And so the fugue-tune was abandoned—it 
was not suited to congregational worship. Yet, as 
in the days of the old canons, there was a loud 
cry for some master-musician who should resolve 
these elements into a new and nobler form, some 
modern Palestrina who should do for the hymn-tune 
what the great Italian did for the music of his own age. 

We cannot say that another Palestrina did really 
appear. The service which corresponded to his was 
rendered by a number of musicians who contributed 
to the reform and made it effective. Yet among 
them there was one who beyond all others deserves 
to be called the Modern Palestrina, an American 
composer, whose splendid and permanent work and 
whose vast influence we have not yet learned to esti- 
mate at their full value, and with whom the perfected 
hymn-tune is at last introduced. 


LOWELL MASON 


The modern school, which began with Lowell 
Mason (if indeed he may not be called its founder), 
was the successful creator of a style in which the dig- 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 309 


nity of the old psalm-tunes is modified and beautified 
by the color of the period which followed them. The 
breadth is reinstated and warmth is added. There is 
a wider range and more liberty; there is a judicious 
selection of melodies from secular sources; but all 
with the most worshipful intent. The harmony is 
more varied, and while it is sometimes more difficult 
than in the old psalm-tunes, it is within the reach of 
the members of any congregation whose leaders are 
willing to make a little effort in their instruction. In 
order that we may understand this we begin with a 
particular notice of the work of the man to whom its 
inauguration is principally due. 

Lowell Mason was born at Medfield, Massachu- 
setts, January 8, 1792, and died at Orange, New 
Jersey, August II, 1872. He taught himself the 
rudiments of music and was in charge of the church 
choir at Medfield when he was only sixteen years 
old. 

In 1812, at the age of twenty, he removed to 
Savannah, Georgia, where he was engaged as a clerk 
in a bank; but continuing to teach and conduct. In 
1827 he returned to the North and resided in Boston. 
Here he became president of the Handel and Haydn 
Society, and soon after (1832), in connection with 
George James Webb, established the Boston Acad- 
emy of Music. In 1835 New York University con- 
ferred upon him the title of Doctor of Music. He 
visited Europe in 1837, prosecuting his studies and 
adding to his reputation. Upon his return he engaged 
largely in musical publication, putting forth many 


310 The History and Use of Hymns 


volumes in the interest of better sacred music, not 
only for the congregation, but for the choir, the Sab- 
bath school, and church societies. In this work he 
continued until within a few years of his death. 

The influence of Lowell Mason on congregational 
music may be inferred from the fact that more than 
seventy tunes of which he was the author may be 
found in modern collections. The new Presbyterian 
Hymnal, one of the latest and most severely critical 
in its selections, contains thirty-three of his tunes, 
besides eight repetitions—this number being exceeded 
only by Dykes with forty-three and Barnby with 
thirty-five. The wide range of his work appears in 
that of these thirty-three tunes twenty-three are 
original, and the others are arrangements of melodies 
derived from various sources. The best known of 
his original tunes, with their dates of composition in 
historical order are as follows: Jisstonary Hymn, 
1823, Hebron, Uxbridge, Laban, Wesley, Cowper, 
1830; Boylston, Olivet, 1832; Harwell, 1840; Beth- 
any, 1859. Arrangements of German melo- 
dies are Naomi, 1836; Azmon, Mendebras, 1839; 
Lischer, 1841; Dennis, 1845. Gregorian, Hamburg, 
Olmutz, 1824. Scotch air, Ward, 1830. From 
Mozart, Arzel, 1836. From Handel, Antioch, 1836. 

It will be observed that the Mcsszonary Hymn is 
his earliest production. The story of its composition 
is told on page 170. 

A study of Lowell Mason’s hymns, in the light of 
preceding history, and as indicating the transition 
from the fugue-tune to the modern form and as con- 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 311 


necting all periods in the one final production, will 
amply repay the careful student. The dignity, 
solemnity, and breadth of the old Gregorian music is 
well reproduced in Hamburg, most appropriately set 
to that greatest of all hymns, ‘‘When I survey the 
wondrous cross.’’ The utmost permissible use of the 
fugue, according to present standards, in conjunction 
with the ‘‘authentic’’ mode, is found in Axtzoch. 
The best element of the ‘‘rapport’’ is heard in Cowper 
and Sethany. Other similar illustrations of the 
change which is being effected will be found upon 
examination of other tunes. 


THE PERFECTED HYMN-TUNE 


It will be recognized that the change which was 
inaugurated in hymn-tune music with Lowell Mason 
was great and momentous, but it will also be seen 
that it was not fully effected. A brief study of the 
tunes whose titles are given above, in connection 
with the dates of their composition, makes it very 
clear that their composer had not formulated any posi- 
tive principle. He has no uniform style. On the 
contrary, he alternates between one form and another, 
and there is no steady progress. His influence there- 
fore depends upon the general direction in which he 
is moving rather than upon any goal which he has 
reached. Nevertheless his influence was most pro- 
found. Direction is much, though not everything. 
Being once established, the goal is sure to be reached. 
Lowell Mason broke away from current forms, sup- 
plied the corrective of many abuses, and started upon 


312 The History and Use of Hymas 


a path in which others, following his leadership, soon 
achieved the best results. He was immediately fol- 
lowed by five great composers, whose names are the 
greatest in hymn-tune music, and between whom and 
all others there is a manifest if not indeed a mighty 
gulf. These are Sir John Goss, 1800-1880; Henry 
Smart, 1813-1879; Rev. John B. Dykes, Mus. Doc., 
1823-1876; William Henry Monk, Mus. Doc., 1823- 
1889; and Sir Joseph Barnby, 1838-1896. 

It will be observed that these men were contempo- 
raries; the oldest of them was only eight years 
younger than Lowell Mason, and the youngest was 
thirty-four years old when Mason died. 

These men established a certain form of hymn- 
tune music in which all that is best in sacred song is 
reverently cherished and employed; in which the blem- 
ishes of the experimental stage are removed; in which 
all needful variety is introduced; and in which the 
very best in art is made to serve the highest in reli- 
gion, so that the demands of the most cultivated 
musician and those of the most devout worshiper are 
alike supplied. 

It is not necessary to refer to the works of these 
great composers in detail. Let the student examine 
them in any modern hymnal. He will find in some 
cases tunes by two or more of them set to one hymn; 
for example, number 623 of the Presbyterian Hymnal 
is set to tunes by Barnby, Smart, and Dykes. 


The Perfecting of the Hymn-Tune 33 


Joun B. DYKES 


While we accord to these five composers a place in 
the first rank, there is one who, by common consent, 
is at least primus inter pares. Thisis the Rev. John 
B. Dykes. It is not that his music is so supe- 
rior to that of the others as that it is more generally 
representative of the perfected hymn-tune. We may 
take anything which he has contributed to modern 
collections and set it up as a standard, saying, ‘‘This 
is what a tune ought to be for such a hymn as this.”’ 
Dr. Dykes was born at Hull, March 10, 1823. He 
could play well by ear upon the organ before he 
learned to play by note. His musical career began 
as conductor of the Cambridge University Musical 
Society, and was never interrupted. Though em- 
ployed in a number of places as a priest of the English 
Church, and with rare fidelity and success, he continued 
to devote much time and effort to sacred music. From 
1849 to 1862 he served both as dean and precentor 
in Durham Cathedral, and during these years most of 
his most important musical compositions were pub- 
lished. 

In 1862 he took charge of St. Oswald’s, a parish 
church in Durham, and continued as its vicar until his 
death. And then the extent to which he had touched 
the heart of the English people is indicated in the fact 
that they contributed ten thousand pounds for his 
memorial. 

One thing is to be noted concerning Dr. Dykes’ 
tunes, which gives them special prominence and value. 


314. The History and Use of Hymns 


His deep religious instincts and superb literary taste 
led him to select for his compositions the finest of 
modern hymns, so that we have in his productions the 
union of the best in hymnody with the best in music. 
For example, Bishop Heber’s ‘‘Holy, Holy, Holy,’’ 
is the finest hymn of adoration in the language. It is 
set to Vic@a, one of Dykes’s finest tunes. It thus 
becomes in its twofold aspect a positive standard of 
the perfected hymn-tune in time, pitch, movement, 
range, and harmony. Again, Bonar’s ‘‘I heard the 
voice of Jesus say’’ is a sweet, persuasive evangel- 
istic hymn. Dykes has united it to Vor Dilecti, a 
remarkable composition, in which the Saviour’s quest 
and the soul’s joyful answer as set forth in each 
verse are very beautifully expressed in the music in 
the change from the minor to the major. These and 
other tunes by Dr. Dykes should be carefully exam- 
ined. Then let the student review the history which 
has been given and survey the road by which he has 
been led to this splendid height of popular praise. 
Let him recall the many mistakes committed, the 
many experiments tried, the many improvements 
made. The road has not been unlike that by which 
the mountain top is reached—now up steep ascents, 
now across broad plains, now down through deep 
gorges; but ever tending upward and on towards the 
glorious summit. We know not what may be the 
surprises of the future, but whatever may be in store 
for us, let us thank God for the present and rejoice 
in the treasures of praise which we possess. 


CHAPTER XIX 
BoE BEST DUNES 


[NOTE.~—From the large number of excellent hymnals recently 
published, the author has selected the Presbyterian Hymnal and 
In E-xcelsts for his chief illustrations in this chapter. The stu- 
dent should procure and make use of them. ] 

No one has yet done for our tunes what King and 
Benson have done for our hymns in the Anglican 
Hymnology and The Best Church Hymns, but no 
doubt the same general principles will apply to both 
words and music. The best tunes may be determined 
by usage, but usage must be defined in this case, as 
it has been in the case of our hymns, by reference to 
those hymnals which have been compiled by compe- 
tent authority, indorsed by leading denominations, 
and used in the stated worship of regularly organized 
congregations. When a large number of such hym- 
nals shall have been collated, we shall be furnished 
with a standard by which to determine our best hymn- 
tunes. For the present, however, we may note the 
drift of sentiment as indicated in the kinds of tunes 
which are the more and more discountenanced and in 
the kinds which are the more and more indorsed by 
accredited compilers. Take, for example, the succes- 
sive editions of the Robinson series. Wherein is the 
advance from the Laudes Domini to the New Laudes 
Domini, and thence to the /z Hxcelsis? Or take 
the old and the new Presbytertzan Hymnal, and what 


315 


316 The History and Use of Hymns 


are the differences? Then compare these books with 
those in use a generation ago. A superficial exam- 
ination will supply a fairly satisfactory answer; a 
careful study will reveal a wealth of suggestion, into 
which we may not enter, but which will prove exceed- 
ingly profitable to him who undertakes it. We must 
content ourselves with a few illustrations: 

1. The fugue-tune has almost disappeared. 

The older hymnals contained a considerable num- 
ber, the newer ones contain only two or three. Some 
that were once great favorites have disappeared. 
Northfield, for example, a stirring tune, usually set 
to ‘‘Lo! what a glorious sight appears,’’ and sung by 
our fathers with great zest, is missing from the later 
publications. Even Gezeva, still retained in the Pres- 
byterian Hymnal, is cast out of the Mew Laudes 
Domini and In Excelsis. Some tunes, once written 
as fugues, have been modified and the fugue elimi- 
nated. So it is with Lezox—our sires would scarcely 
recognize it. 

This would indicate that few if any fugue-tunes 
are suitable for congregational purposes; the consen- 
sus of the best judgment is against them, and for rea- 
sons given before. 

2. New tunes are offered for hymns to which 
old familiar tunes are wedded. 

This is hazardous business for the compiler, and 
frequently his very best efforts are ignored, or even 
indignantly condemned. 

The writer was recently engaged in teaching a 
choir one of these new tunes when an old minister 


The Best Tunes CRY 


who was present, rudely shocked by the displacement 
of his favorite melody, shook his finger in my face and 
solemnly said, ‘‘What God hath joined together let not 
man put asunder’’; a zealfor the antique which might 
remind one of ‘‘Daavit’s Psaams to Daavit’s tunes!’’ 

We may be very sure that when, in a serious col- 
lection, an alternate tune is offered for a given hymn, 
there is good reason for it; and much more so when 
a new tune is offered in lieu of an old one. It is 
because competent judges believe it to be better— 
usually it zs better—it marks some distinct advance. 

This is not to advocate the hurried substitution of 
new tunes for old ones. There is sometimes a world 
of holy associations connected with an old tune which 
it were almost a crime to sunder. Sometimes old 
words have been fused together with old music and a 
sort of ‘‘one flesh’’ has been created in the holy wed- 
lock. In such a case divorce is not permissible. If 
the tune is not positively bad, let it alone. 

} Weare not to encourage mere novelties in sacred 
music. The passion for such things is too intense as 
it is. Certain irresponsible publishing houses thrive 
upon it and succeed all too well in imposing a lot of 
periodical trash upon credulous congregations. But 
we are not to stand in the way of genuine reform, 
honestly attempted; and the hymnals that are pub- 
lished with this in view should be welcomed. 

VY” When old associations are not emphatic, when cer- 
tain hymns have been sung to more than one tune, or 
more especially, when even the tune which we have 
been accustomed to sing, however much we are 


318 The History and Use of Hymns 


attached to it, is manifestly unsuitable, we ought not 
to resist the adoption of the new tune. It ought at 
least to be examined and considered. 

The later hymnals furnish many illustrations of the 
changes indicated above. Let us select those that 
are associated with the most familiar hymns. 

[1.] ‘‘All hail the power of Jesus’ name’’ is gener- 
ally sung in the United States to Coronation, but there 
is no positive wedlock in this case. It is sung in 
England and Canada to MWzles Lane, a tune much 
admired by our British cousins. It has one remark- 
ably fine feature—the thrice-repeated acclaim, 
‘‘crown him!’’ in the last line. Jn Eacelsis gives the 
first place to this tune, follows it with Coronacion, 
and then adds a third tune, Southwich. This is as 
much as to say that Coronation is not satisfactory. 
The Presbyterian hymnal does not contain MWzles 
Lane, but gives the first place to Smart’s S¢. Leon- 
ard and follows with Coronation. 

What is the student to conclude? Whatever may 
be his pious prejudices he cannot fail to note that 
competent judges agree that Coronation is not one of 
our best tunes. If he asks Why not? he will find 
his answer in the principles already revealed. The 
‘‘rapport’’ is not good form; the repetition does 
not add to the effect—it is an anti-climax. The 
movement does not accord with the sentiment and the ~ 
passing notes—particularly those of the last bar—are 
weak almost to insipidity. 

There is a question still as to which is the best 
tune for ‘this hymn; but either of those preferred by 


The Best Tunes 319 


the compilers is better than Coronation. Let the 
student test them for himself. 

/~~12.] There are cases in which the composer of an 
older tune has himself added a newer tune to the 
same hymn—testimony of the strongest possible kind. 
Merrial (called Twlight in In Excelsts), formerly 
known as Lmmelar, is a very beautiful tune by 
Barnby. No alternate tune was formerly given for it, 
but Jz Lacelsis adds Bard and the Presbyterian 
flymnal adds Repose, also by Barnby. (This is not 
the Repose of In Excelsis.) The reason for this is at 
once apparent; the counterpoint of the older tune is 
too involved for the average worshiper. The singing 
of the tune is limited to the choir. 

Illustrations similar to the above might be multi- 
plied. ‘‘Just as I am, without one plea’’ has been 
commonly sung to Woodworth. Barnby’s /ust as I 
am (Presbyterian Hymnal) is so much better every 
way that it should be substituted. Even Dykes is 
not equal to himself in Lusz Lenigna to ‘‘Lead 
Kindly Light.’’ The hymn is hard to sing to any 
tune, but Lux Beata by Peace, or more particularly 
Sandon by Purday is more singable. Other examples 
will appear upon examination of the hymnals. 

3. Changes have been made in the tunes them- 
selves tn order to their improvement. 

Sometimes these changes are in notation, har- 
mony, or rhythm, as already observed in the case of 
Lenox. Sometimes the notes themselves are altered. 
Our English friends complain that Sir Arthur Sulli- 
van’s St. Gertrude has been mutilated by its Ameri- 


320 The History and Use of Hymns 


can arrangement. Perhaps, however, it was only a 
wise surgical operation. It appears in two forms in 
In Excelsis and the Presbyterian Hymnal, the former 
containing a little fugue imitation in the last line, 
eliminated in the latter. It will be well to compare 
the two forms. 

Sometimes the time in which a tune is written is 
changed. In the older books Serenzty is written in 
three-four time. In nearly all the recent ones it is 
written in six-eight time, though /z Axcelsis restores 
it to three-four. This is so important a matter that 
the tune, written in the two forms, is herewith given. 


SERENITY—(Older form). 


etn: mo seerzir= | 
i] 
5~*-p—p—* - 
pat st eae: a] 
ge ree Saree EEL tae 
& gs! : 
Seeieeee Jeet 


SERENITY—(Later form). 















The Best Tunes 321 


ieee ae Tea 


lis 


zs mianeahal geen 


The older form of the tune is the more pleasing, 
and judged by the standard of the mere musician, the 
more artistic; but the simplest test will show that the 
later form is more suitable for congregational wor- 
ship, because the average worshiper can follow it 
much more easily. | 

4. Tunes containing unusual intervals are dis- 
couraged and others of a more simple structure are 
substituted. 

For example, Bishop Phillips Brooks’ sweet song 
“‘O little town of Bethlehem’’ was formerly sung 
almost exclusively to Redner’s St. Louzs. It is a 
beautiful tune, but not easily mastered, especially by 
the children, who are the most generally interested. 
Other tunes have been suggested—two of them by 
Burnap, of which that in the Presbyterian Hymnal, 
Ephratah should be carefully compared with Sv, 
Louis. It is none the less beautiful without the same 
difficulties. Similar substitutions are presented in 
other cases. 

5. Lunes with too great a range for the average 
voue have been discarded. 

This rule has been severely followed. Some 
tunes found in former collections which went above 


322 The History and Use of Hymns 


F in the treble, or to a corresponding low note in the 
bass, have been rejected by later compilers. No illus- 
trations are necessary. 

From such an examination as the foregoing they 
that conduct the service of praise may be aided in 
determining the best tunes, and may formulate certain 
rules for their proper guidance. The fundamental 
form of the best tune embraces the following features: 
common time, one syllable to each note, simple mel- 
ody, and radical chords. When there is a departure 
from these fundamental features great care must be 
exercised. While it is neither wise nor desirable to 
limit our congregations to one class of tunes we owe 
it to our religion to be dignified and worshipful. We 
do not wish to return to the monotony of the old 
psalm-tunes on the one hand, neither do we wish to 
encourage a collection of glees upon the other. Some 
such simple rules, therefore, as the following may be 
adopted: 

1. Tunes must be singable. 

Some little training ought to be expected in every 
congregation. The best tunes are seldom mastered 
by hearing them a couple of times. Both the pleasure 
and the profit of worship are enhanced in the attempt 
to render a worthy composition. But tunes that can 
never be sung except by trained musicians ought not 
to be announced from the pulpit. If they are em- 
braced in a collection let them be relegated to the use 
of the choir. 

2. Tunes should be selected. 

Our collections all embrace too many—both hymns 


The Best Tunes R23 


and tunes. It is almost as vicious to propose five 
hundred to a congregation as it was forlorn in the old 
Scotch days to be reduced to six. Every wise leader 
—in pulpit and choir—should have an idea of what 
constitutes a suitable repertoire. It should be large 
enough to avoid too frequent repetitions of the same 
tune in public worship and to give needed variety, and 
it should be small enough to be thoroughly familiar- 
ized by a congregation. 

3. Lunes should be adapted to the hymns. 

Sometimes the minister will need expert advice in 
this matter. Oftentimes the accent of the hymn and 
tune do not coincide—the beat comes in the wrong 
place. Thus a tune, excellent in itself, may seem 
wretched, because of its lack of adaptation. Some- 
times also a good tune for one hymn is a poor tune 
for another. It is no sure sign that it suits the hymn 
that the compiler has placed it on the same page. 
Upon a certain occasion Doddridge’s hymn beginning 
‘Ye servants of the Lord’’ was announced. It is 
set in the Presbyterian Hymnal to Ladan, on the 
opposite page. On the same page, however, is found 
a new copyright tune Soldiers of Christ, written for 
Wesley’s hymn beginning with these words. Both 
tunes are short meter tunes; both are written in com- 
mon time. They might seem to be interchangeable. 
Yet when the leader rejected Laban and started 
Soldiers of Christ, the effect was simply horrible. 
When asked why he selected this tune, he answered, 
‘‘Because it isa better tune.’’ There is no question- 
ing his judgment—it zs the better tune; but it is not 


324. The History and Use of Hymns 


better for this hymn, as a glance at the illustrations 
will show. 





Soldiers of Christ arise 


In the hymn “‘Ye servants of the Lord,’’ the 
accent is on the second syllable (Ser); in ‘‘Soldiers 
of Christ, arise,’’ the accent is on the first syllable, 
(Sol). In Laban the beat is right for the hymn; in 
Soldiers itis wrong. When, therefore, ‘‘Ye servants 
of the Lord’’ is sung to So/dzers the whole perform- 
ance is out of joint. These hymns and their tunes 
cannot be transposed without confusion. Such cases 
are not infrequent, and when they occur it is a serious 
bar to good congregational music. 

It is equally important also to adapt the tune to 
the sentiment of the hymn. Is the hymn joyful? 
Why sing it to a slow tune in a minor key? Is it 
serious and penitential? Why sing it to a glee? 

For like reasons new tunes that are offered for old 
hymns deserve careful examination. They often give 
to the words new force and beauty. 


The Best Tunes Gea 


4. Tunes should be sung at the rate in which 
they are written. 

Some congregations have the bad habit of drag- 
ging; some habitually sing too rapidly. ‘‘Do you 
never sing a tune slowly?’’ asked the officiating minis- 
femmneaeserics Of y . M,/-O,As. services, 2" Not 
often,’’ was the reply, in substance, ‘‘the boys like 
to keep the thing hot!’’ But undue speed in sacred 
song is more reprehensible than undue slowness. 
Yet many congregations do not seem to know the 
difference between singing promptly and singing 
fast. 

Some organists are to blame in this matter. They 
do not seem to understand that they should lead— 
they only follow. The chief reason why the organ 
should play the tune before it is sung is found in its 
interpretation. It shows the worshiper not only what 
the tune is, but how it is to be rendered. It sets the 
pace for the entire hymn and gives the shading at 
least for the first verse, and virtually says to the peo- 
ple, ‘‘Sing it in this way.’’ This prelude ought to be 
such that, sung in any other way, even the best tune 
is injured—often well nigh ruined. 

Other rules are already embodied in our notes 
concerning the changes which have been made in 
tunes; but they may be briefly added by way of 
recapitulation. 

5. Avoid tunes of florid counterpoint. 

6. Avoid tunes containing difficult melodic inter- 
vals. 

7. Avoid tunes of too great range. 


326 The History and Use of Hymns 


The staff indicates all the notes which can be sung 
by the average voice, and even such tunes as con- 
tinue for several notes on the extremes should be 
barred. 

In order to the determining of the best tunes 
something should be said in addition to the above 
with regard to the proper treatment of tunes. 

What is it that makes a tune sacred or secular? 
This question is much in dispute. There may be 
some intrinsic differences, some characteristic ele- 
ments whereby the two are differentiated, dut they 
have never been actually defined. Critics have been 
very free in declaring ‘‘this is sacred’’ and ‘‘that is 
secular’’; but so far they have not been able to give 
satisfactory reasons. We have many excellent hymn- 
tunes derived from old folk-songs, ballad-tunes, and 
operas; and so long as they do not suggest improper 
scenes and associations they are unobjectionable. 
Yet we all believe that there is a difference between 
sacred and secular music and every devout worshiper 
will insist upon maintaining it. What rule, then, can 
be given in this matter? 

Without entering into the details of the contro- 
versy, it is enough for our purposes to show that very 
much—indeed almost everything—depends upon 
treatment. Into this a number of elements may enter, 
such as the key, the time, and the like. A tune which 
has a sacred character in one key may sometimes have 
a distinctly secular character in another; and there- 
fore the leader should be cautious in transposing, as 
he is sometimes tempted to do. In like manner, a 


The Best Tunes 327 


tune sung or played in fast time may be a jig, which 
in slow time is a serious melody. 

There are certain tunes in some books which make 
excellent dance music by such easy manipulation. 
The reverse also may be accomplished and dance 
music be transformed into the serious. 

A striking illustration is given in the following 
tune. Let it be played as written, without attempting 
to analyze it. 





328 The History and Use of Hymns 








Probably not one person in ten will recognize this 
nor will any one object to it. It seems like dignified 
church music. Yet it is ‘‘Yankee Doodle!’’ Let it 
now be played rapidly in the ordinary key and mode, 
and the lesson of the illustration will be self-evident. 

A similar illustration of the opposite tendency is 
given by Curwen in his Studies in Worship Music 
(first series), showing what may be done in the 
degradation of an eminently sacred tune, so that it 
may become emphatically secular. 

Old Hundred in its original form is written as fol- 
lows: 





The Best Tunes 329 


It is usually written to-day as follows: 


Gok 
agit 






There is no question that the present form is an 
improvement upon the past. But Dr. Curwen sug- 
gests that it may yet be written thus: 


— Se a Sar 
aurtero tt tT 


z= + Ae 2 =a a4 goes Ltd breng- 




















330 The History and Use of Hymns 








‘*This,’’ he says, ‘‘is the reductizo ad absurdum 
of the extreme chromatic style. The piece is in- 
tended as a caricature and the contrast of the har- 
monies with the old melody is ridiculous; but passages 
may be found in recent hymn-tunes every bit as bad.’’ 

There is a world of suggestion in these illustrations 
for him who would determine the best tunes. No 
arbitrary rules can be given. After all, a sanctified 
taste is. the only arbiter—a ¢aste which sets the spirit 
of pure worship above all else; a sanctification in 
which the sense of the truly beautiful is normally 
developed. 


Cit A eB Re OX. 
GOSPEL SC NGS AND SINGERS 


The term ‘‘Gospel Songs’’ is applied to a certain 
class of sacred lyrics, chiefly of an evangelistic char- 
acter, composed for use in popular gatherings of a 
heterogeneous character. The term is distinctly asso- 
ciated with the work of Mr. Moody, but is not con- 
fined to the music which he and his associates were 
chief in promoting. .There has always been more or 
less music of this character, though in its modern 
form it was the distinct outgrowth and concomitant 
of that lay evangelism which came in with Mr. Moody. 
It must therefore be understood and interpreted in 
this connection. What lay evangelism was to the 
ordained ministry, the Gospel Song is to regular 
church music. If the right relations of the former be 
determined, so also will the right relations of the 
latter. If lay evangelism is a proper, permanent 
system, so also is the Gospel Song. If it is excep- 
tional and temporary, so also is all that which neces- 
_ sarily goes with it as part and parcel of the same 
general movement. 

The Gospel Song was born in Newcastle, England, 
in 1873, during the Moody and Sankey campaign.* 
_ The evangelists had been using Philip Phillips’ 
book, ‘‘Hallowed Songs,’’ supplemented by such 


* See W. R. Moody’s Zzfe of his father. 
. 331 


332 The History and Use of Hymns 


original compositions as Mr. Sankey supplied. Be- 
fore long a demand was created for the publication of 
these original pieces and on the personal guarantee 
of Mr. Moody, Morgan & Scott published a pam- 
phiet of sixteen pages, entitled ‘‘Sacred Songs and 
Solos,’’ September 18, 1873. From time to time 
additions were made to the volume until the pam- 
phlets were discontinued and their combined contents 
printed in a single book. 

Meanwhile Mr. Moody’s friend and lieutenant, 
Major D. W. Whittle, was conducting evangelistic 
meetings in America. Following Mr. Moody’s ex- 
ample he, too, had associated with himself a musician 
much beloved by all who knew him—the lamented 
P. P. Bliss. These evangelists, still copying their 
leader, issued for Americans a book similar to that 
which Mr. Moody had prepared for the English, en- 
titled ‘‘Gospel Songs’’—the name by which such 
compositions were thereafter to be known. When 
Moody and Sankey returned in 1875 the double set 
of partners decided to combine their compositions in 
one book, which was accordingly published. Its 
title-page reads, ‘‘Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs, 
by P. P. Bliss and Ira D. Sankey, as used by them 
in Gospel Meetings.’’ This title has been maintained 
ever since. The book became immensely popular; 
many writers and composers joined together to extend 
its circulation, edition followed edition, and addition 
followed addition, until a No. 6 was finally reached. It 
was a series of hymn and tune books whose extent 
and popularity was unparalleled in the history of 


Gospel Songs and Singers 333 


sacred song, and with a circulation surpassed only by 
‘« Hymns Ancient and Modern.”’ 

There has been much debate concerning the char- 
acter and place of these Gospel Songs. Some hold 
that they have done great mischief in vitiating the 
taste and corrupting the manners of worshiping con- 
gregations. Others insist as strenuously that they 
have been mightily influential in promoting true praise 
and positive devotion. The best judges seem to take 
a middle ground. Humphreys, in his Evolution of 
Church Music, says: ‘‘The character of piety they 
cultivate is somewhat superficial, not to say hysteri- 
cal; but it cannot be denied that they stir the heart 
of the common throng. The refrains which are 
generally attached to them are readily caught by the 
ear; and that wave of emotional sympathy, easily 
started in large audiences, soon sweeps over the 
meeting, and choir and congregation are at once 
drawn into close accord. .... No doubt the par- 
ticipants are moved by profound and genuine feeling, 
yet we are unable to approve of the introduction of 
such melodies into church services.’’ Curwen says, 
in his Studies tn Worship Music (second series): 
‘‘After the musician has vented his spleen upon this 
degenerate psalmody, an important fact remains: 
music in worship is a means, not an end, and we are 
bound to consider how far these tunes serve their end 
in mission work, which, after all, has not musical 
training for its object, so much as the kindling of the 
divine spark in the hearts of the worshipers. With- 
out doubt these songs touch the common throng; they 


334 The History and Use of Hymns 


match the words to which they are sung and carry 
them.’’ Professor Dickinson, in his Music in the 
History of the Western Church, takes somewhat differ- 
ent ground. He says: ‘‘Those churches which rely 
mainly upon the Gospel Songs should soberly con- 
sider if it is profitable in the long run to maintain a 
standard of religious melody and verse far below that 
which prevails in secular music and literature. .... 
The church cannot afford to keep its spiritual culture 
out of harmony with the higher intellectual move- 
ments of the age. One whose taste is fed by the 
poetry of such masters as Milton and Tennyson, by 
the music of such as Handel and Beethoven, and 
whose appreciations are sharpened by the best ex- 
amples of performance in the modern concert-hall, 
cannot drop his taste and critical habit when he enters 
the church door. The same is true in a modified 
degree in respect to those who have had less educa- 
tional advantages. It is a fallacy to assert that the 
masses of the people are responsive only to that 
which is trivial and sensational.’’ Yet he adds: ‘‘In 
all this discussion I have had in mind the steady and 
more normal work of the church. Forms of song 
which, to the musician, lie outside the pale of art 
may have a legitimate place in seasons of special reli- 
gious quickening. .... The revival hymn may be 
effective in soul-winning; it is inadequate when 
treated as an element in the larger task of spiritual 
development. ’’ 

These opinions of eminent experts should receive 
most respectful consideration; but as they furnish no 


Gospel Songs and Singers 335 


adequate basis for mature judgment we may give 
attention to certain considerations which may help us 
to our own decisions. 

I. As to the poetic material of these songs this 
much is certain—they are not hymns. If the defini- 
tions upon which we have already fixed, after the most 
careful study in hymnology, be accepted, we are 
compelled to deny them this quality. They are 
exactly what they are generally called, ‘‘Gospel 
Songs,’’ and it was a mistake to change the title to 
“‘Gospel Hymns.’’ This was probably done because 
in the first edition of the Bliss and Sankey book—as 
in subsequent ones, certain hymns of the church were 
added. But still the addition of the words ‘‘Sacred 
Songs’’ indicated their character. 

This is not to say that there are no hymns among 
them. There are a few that we may call such. Yet 
even those that rank as hymns do not fully conform 
to the standard. They are such as Mrs. Hawks’ 
“‘T need thee every hour’’ and Fannie Crosby’s 
‘Jesus, keep me near the cross.’’ But the charac- 
teristic Gospel Song, like ‘‘There were winety and 
nine,’ “‘Hold the fort,’’ ‘“Tell me the old, old 
story,’’ and ‘‘What shall the harvest be?*’ is not a 
hymn in any proper sense of the word. 

Some of these poems are very beautiful and effect- 
ive, like ‘‘ Almost persuaded,’’ ‘‘Safe in the arms of 
Jesus,’’ and ‘‘Rescue the perishing’’; but a poem 
does not become a hymn by virtue either of its beauty 
or its effectiveness, any more than a drama becomes 
a sermon or a meditation a prayer for like reasons. 


336 The History and Use of Hymns 


If we do not confine our words to certain meanings 
we open the way to endless confusion; and if we do 
not limit, even with some severity, the proper agency 
to its proper sphere, we invite abuses which it will be 
very hard to correct. A hymn is one thing; a sacred 
song is another thing. Each has its distinct charac- 
ter and uses. Sometimes they overlap, but they 
never lose their distinct character and their appropri- 
ate purpose. A true hymn is worship; a sacred song 
is not. The ultimate objective point contemplated in 
a hymn is God himself; in a sacred song it is the 
hearer. A hymn co-ordinates with prayer. <A 
sacred song co-ordinates with exhortation. This 
consideration goes far in fixing the quality of the 
Gospel Song. It also serves to determine its proper 
use. 

2. As to the quality of the music, so far as known 
to the author, zo one has ever claimed that it ts 
up to the standard of our best hymn-tunes. 

Curwen reports that Mr. Sankey said to him in 
London, ‘‘I am no musician; indeed, I am no singer,’’ 
and there was no reason for Curwen to disagree with 
him. Mr. Sankey well knew his abilities and his 
limitations. He claimed to be no more than he was. 
Indeed, we may claim for him even more than he 
claimed for himself. He was a great artist in his 
peculiar line—as much so as the technical virtuoso. 
He was an expert musical elocutionist, and communi- 
cated his skill to vast audiences whom he taught to 
sing simple melodies with unusual power. He and 
his companions are sometimes called ‘‘singing evan- 


Gospel Songs and Singers 337 


gelists.’’ The term accurately describes them. 
Musicians they were not. 

Take the four leading Gospel singers who were 
associated in the publication of the series of Gospel 
Hymns—Bliss, Sankey, McGranahan, and Stebbins— 
and judge their work by the only competent standard 
to which we are at liberty at present to appeal—the 
authoritative permanent collections. Juz E-xcelsis 
does not contain a single tune by any of them. The 
Presbyterian Hymnal selects but one out of the vast 
number which they have published — ‘‘Evening 
Prayer,’’ by George C. Stebbins. If this is any 
reflection upon their attainments it is to be laid at the 
door of these compilers. But really it is no reflec- 
tion upon them in the line of their special work. It 
is only that their gifts and their compositions were 
abnormal; that is, aside from the permanent purposes 
and required grade of congregational worship. As 
the songs to which they set their music were not as a 
class hymns, so their melodies were not as a class 
hymn-tunes. Some particulars may be mentioned in 
which they are defective. 

[1.] Zhe solo and chorus feature ts objectionable. 

Let us carefully guard this remark. Remember 
we are dealing with congregational music in stated 
worship. Our choirs render music in this form; but 
the Gospel Hymns are surely not intended for the 
use of the choir; and just as surely this style of 
music cannot be employed in the services of congre- 
gations that gather only once a week. 

Moreover, many of these pieces are such simply 


338 The History and Use of Hymns 


because of the musical incapacity of their authors. It 
requires much less skill to write a solo with a simple 
refrain than to write a good hymn-tune. The Gospel, 
singers were not masters of counterpoint and har- 
mony. They did the best they could. 

[2.] Zhe tmitation of the fugue-tune which pre- 
vatls in these tunes ts objectionable. 

It was a revival of the style of music which the 
church had, by common consent, abandoned. But it 
was a very weak imitation. The same limitations 
which compelled the frequent use of solo and chorus 
restricted the composers to that which was little else 
that simple antiphony—mere repetition without real 
accord. 

These Gospel fugue-tunes were used with great 
effect. ‘‘Deep answered unto deep’’ in the emotions 
which stirred the gathered multitudes. The occasion 
justified the means. But sung in the times of ordi- 
nary religious feeling, and by smaller congregations, 
these tunes are weak and meaningless. 

[3.] Zhe structure of these tunes—even when 
the above features do not appear—zs loose and 
prosatc. 

The better hymn-tunes introduce a fundamental 
harmony with every beat; they move with stately 
steps and majestic strength. But the very simple 
harmony of these Gospel tunes generally changes but 
once ina bar. The lower parts are little else than an 
accompaniment to the soprano. This gives a very 
attenuated effect and renders them exceeding cheap 
| and common. 


Gospel Songs and Singers 339 


[4.] Lut the most objectionable of all features has 
been the dissociation of old standard hymns from the 
stately tunes to which congregations have been 
accustomed to sing them, connecting them with trifling 
melodies. 

This has been done in some cases in which unwar- 
ranted liberties have not only been taken with the 
hymn, but the tune which has been joined to it is 
altogether out of keeping with the words. 

So it has been with two of Watts’ most serious 
hymns, ‘‘Alas, and did my Saviour bleed’’ and 
*‘Come we that love the Lord.’’ In both cases a 
chorus has been added that we hesitate to character- 
ize. The words of the chorus are a deep and pitiable 
decline and the music is almost sacrilege. This isa 
serious charge; but let the tunes be examined. How 
can any devout worshiper, before the cross of his 
crucified Saviour, take up such a strain as that which 
this Gospel chorus furnishes. Itisinexplicable. The 
other chorus is simply tawdry, picnic music—un- 
worthy of pilgrims to the heavenly city. 

[5.] Zhe fact that a number of the standard 
hymns of the Church are always added to the editions 
of Gospel Songs is sufficient criticism. 

The exceptional and temporary are thus made to 
pass current; an imprimatur is attached to them. 
Frequently in Gospel meetings, at the very climax of 
interest the standard hymns were used. They com- 
pelled their own adoption. The audience had reached 
a spiritual frame to which they alone could give 
expression. 


340 The History and Use of Hymns 


[6.] Zhe multiplication of these Gospel tunes set- 
tled into a mannerism. 

This would have been an evil, even if the manner- 
ism itself was not specially obnoxious. The old 
Scotch tunes, as we have seen, were good tunes; but 
their inflexible style was disheartening. The error in 
the case of the Gospel tunes was more serious. They 
created a musical idiom which was undesirable. They 
degenerated into a kind of musical ‘‘slang,’’ which 
while it was eminently sincere and pious, yet operated 
to deprave the purity of praise as its counterpart in 
language operates to deprave purity in speech. Many 
a worshiper has been misled with regard to the quali- 
ties of a true hymn and the nature of sacred music. 
Reverence degenerates into familiarity, and solemn 
worship is displaced by musical harangue. The best 
effects of these songs were therefore local and tem- 
porary. 

And yet the Gospel Songs have had this perma- 
nent influence; they have served to suggest a better 
use of the better tunes. Our congregational singing 
has been much improved by observing their methods. 
It might be still more improved, would we only heed 
the lessons we have been taught. There is by far 
too much sameness in our praise. We sing most of 
our tunes at the same rate and with the same degree 
of force. The minister and the choir care all too little 
whether any attempt is made to interpret the senti- 
ment of the hymn or to express the meaning of the 
tune to which it is set. The great congregations 


Gospel Songs and Singers 341 


which sang the Gospel Songs were taught to ‘‘shade’’ 
them. There was always an interacting sympathy 
between choir and congregation, which we might con- 
tinue to cultivate as well as not; and the variety intro- 
duced in the method of singing the same song might 
often be introduced in our church services—particu- 
larly at evening worship—to the greater pleasure and 
profit of the worshipers. If the same interest were 
taken in the proper rendering of our solid church 
tunes as was shown in the Gospel Songs their 
great and manifest superiority to the Gospel Songs 
would quickly and emphatically appear. 

Notwithstanding what has been written above, 
the student ought not entirely to neglect the study of 
the Gospel Songs. After all, the proportion of good 
hymns and good tunes to the whole number does not 
reveal a great disparity to that displayed in those of 
the church at large. When we consider that some 
four hundred thousand hymns have been published, 
of which not more than five hundred are in common 
use, and not more than one hundred and fifty attain to 
the first rank, we should be somewhat sparing of our 
criticisms. 

Still further, there are, and ever will be, occa- 
sions when the best Gospel Songs may be wisely and 
effectively employed, and the student should seek, by 
careful examination, an intelligent judgment of their 
respective merits. He js already sufficiently familiar 
with them. They have been so generally sung that 
we need not attempt a detailed notice of the authors, 


342. The History and Use of Hymns 


either of hymns or tunes. His judgment will be 
materially assisted by inquiring which have been 
received into permanent collections, and it should be 
matured by a review of the material, which his studies 
now render him more competent to pursue. 


CHAPTER XXI 


THE CO-ORDINATION OF PUBLIC 
PRAISE 


We have been concerned, in this volume, with the 
acquisition of the best possible in Sacred Song. We 
have traced the history of the words and music in 
which it has been expressed. We have endeavored 
to reach some standard by which hymns and their 
tunes may be tried. We have sought to realize that 
the best words and the best music must be united, in 
order to the highest praise. And now we reach our 
final question: what relation should sacred song bear 
to all those other exercises which are conducted in the 
sanctuary? What is its proper co-ordination? 

We assume that it will be admitted that the chief 
function of the congregation is worship. .The service 
is properly called, ‘‘public worship’’; the place in 
which it is held is a ‘‘house of worship.’’ God, then, 
is the one supreme factor, and all acts of worship take 
character from their relation to him. 

Omitting certain special acts of worship which are . 
performed occasionally, the three chief features are 
the following: God speaks to us; we speak to God; 
and one speaks to us in the name of ‘God. God 
speaks to us through his holy Word; we speak to God 
in prayer and praise; and the ordained minister speaks 
to us in God’s name, in the sermon. Each of these 


343 


/ 


344 The Hrstory and Use of Hymns 


elements should receive its due proportion of atten- 
tion, else the character of the service is impaired; none 
of them should be performed carelessly or hurriedly. 

What attention, then, should public praise receive? 
Shall it be relegated to a select number of hired 
' musicians? Shall it be introduced for mere relief or 
mere variety? Shall it be rendered in cheap and 
meaningless phrases? 

The tendency of some modern congregations has 
been toward the exaltation of one single element of 
worship—the sermon. They have insisted that this be 
of the highest possible order, whatever the others 
might be. They have sought for men of eloquence 
and wit, who, before all else, should interest and 
please them. They have scarcely given a thought as 
to whether their preachers could lead them in prayer 
and praise. And so worship has suffered, and those 
elements of worship which are the most worshipful 
have suffered the most. 

All this is wrong—sadly, terribly wrong. Let us 
do what we can to right it. Let us seek to install 
public praise in its proper place and to give it the 
attention which it demands. Therefore, let us deter- 
mine its co-ordination. 

1. We first inquire what ts the proper order of 
precedence in public worship. 

We answer as follows: (1) The reading of the 
Scriptures is first; (2) Sacred Song is second; (3) 
Prayer is third; (4) The Sermon is fourth. 

Be it understood that this does not indicate the 
amount of attention that should be given to each; but 


The Co-ordination of Public Praise 345 


the £zzd. Much more time may be given to the ser- 
mon than to any one of the other three; but its dignity 
is not determined by the time consumed. We will 
never get the best outcome from our services until 
we establish the correct order of precedence and 
govern ourselves accordingly. 

We cannot enter into any extended argument with 
regard to the above. We simply appeal to the Scrip- 
tures and to our best Christian sentiment and best 
sense of truth and beauty. 

The Scriptures are first. They are the source of 
all else—knowledge, authority, service, and salvation. 
They demand for themselves, in repeated passages, 
the first place. They always held it in synagogue 
days. They ought to hold it still. However brief 
may be the passages read, the enunciation should be 
distinct, the emphasis correct, and the manner seri- 
ous. The most important thing for the minister to 
cultivate is Scripture reading; its judicious selection, 
and proper interpretation; sacred elocution. In the 
long run, too, it is the most impressive feature of pub- 
lic worship. ‘‘Thus saith the Lord’’ has an almight- 
iness behind it. 

But next to the reading of the Scriptures ts 
public praise. The Scriptures themselves give it 
second place. They are full of it. They indicate 
very plainly that we are to praise before we pray; 
that praise is to outlive prayer; and that we are 
always to praise, even if prayer be intermittent. The 
book of Psalms contains much prayer; but more 
praise. ‘‘Praise ye the Lord!’’ may be called its 


346 The History and Use of Hymns 


keynote. The worship of the heavenly hosts is 
praise; and the redeemed in heaven are represented 
in the book of Revelation as praising God in such 
lofty strains and mighty volume as ear hath never 
heard. Such being the case, how sadly has public 
praise been neglected and abused. 

2. Public praise ts the most characteristic feature 
of the worship of the true God. 

Judaism of old, and now Christianity, is more 
particularly distinguished from the worship of all 
other religions by its praise than by any other ele- 
ment. We say ‘‘the worship’’ of other religions. 
We do not mean that this is its chief distinguishing 
feature in general; but that its public exercises are 
absolutely unique in this particular. In the public 
exercises of other religions there are sacrifices, forms 
of prayer, recitation from sacred books, and rude 
forms of the chant; but no such praise as ours. 
Judaism, as we have seen, was peculiar in this—its 
music was all religious.. Even Pliny took particular 
note of the hymns of the early Christians. Chris- 
tian song has always come like a heavenly message 
and with heavenly power to those who were unfamiliar 
with it. Savages have been disarmed by it; tumult 
_ quelled; enemies conciliated. Luther conquered 
through his songs. Wesley’s hymns prevailed as 
effectively as the other Wesley’s preaching. Con- 
fucius asked, ‘‘Desire ye to know whether a land is 
well governed and its people have good morals? 
‘*Hear itsmusic.’’ John Harrington Edwards* writes, 


* “God and Music.’’ 


The Co-ordination of Public Praise 347 


with great suggestiveness, ‘‘Infidelity has no hymnol- 
ogy’’; and again, ‘‘Atheism, as a rule, is musically 
barren. Unbelief does not praise.’’ 

The fundamental difficulty is that we do not real- 
ize how much sacred song is to us—what it means; 
what it expresses, and what it is capable of accom- 
plishing. And therefore it is pitiably neglected. 
We need to ponder such a message concerning music 
as this, from John Sebastian Bach, himself the great- 
est master of its structure: ‘‘Its final cause is none 
other than this, that it ministers solely to the honor 
of God and refreshment of the spirit; whereof, if one 
take not heed, it is no proper music, but devilish din 
and discord.’’ 

3. The relation of public praise to preaching. 

Some ministers pay no attention to this matter, and 
most congregations have never been taught its need. 
To such the sermon is one thing, the music another 
thing, without inter-relation or inter-dependence. 
And so, some say they come to church for the ser- 
mon and some say they come for the music; whereas 
it ought to be that they could not possibly come for 
one without coming for the other. Many ministers 
select their hymns with considerable care, that they 
may be in keeping with the sermon theme, but give 
no thought to the anthems. The few that look after 
both have little concern beyond the unity of the 
service. 

But there is a much closer and more important 
connection between public praise and preaching than is 
comprised in mere unity. The congregation itself 


348 The History and Use of Hymns 


needs to be unified as well as the exercises in which it 
engages. It needs more than this—it needs to be 
stirred, uplifted, moved toward God. It is not a 
mere aggregation of individuals, each of whom imparts 
nothing to the others and receives nothing from them. 
It constitutes, or should constitute, a vitalized whole. 
When this is accomplished preaching exercises its 
greatest power, and even poor preaching is effective. 
The lay evangelists understood this. What woulda 
their services have been without their songs? How 
much easier it is to touch and move those souls already 
vibrant with holy emotion! What minister does not 
know the peculiar power he enjoys when he rises to 
address an audience that has just poured forth its 
voice in an inspiring hymn? And what minister does 
not know the added power of a hymn, following the 
sermon, in which its best lessons are repeated? 

After all, why do we preach? What do we seek 
ina sermon? Are we intent upon anything that is 
not often sought and secured in a suitable sacred 
song? 

What, then, if preaching and praise were properly 
co-ordinated, as they are not in these days! What 
if our preachers were better trained in sacred song? 
Would they not preach more persuasively? What 
if our congregation were taught to exalt worship? and 
praise, as its most important element? Would not 
their spiritual state be much more favorable to the 
reception of the message which the preacher brings 
to them from their God? 

We need not prolong this discussion. The rela- 


The Co-ordination of Public Praise 349 


tion of praise to prayer, and of praise to the public 
reading of the Scriptures, has been suggested, and the 
reader can readily pursue the suggestions for himself. 
When once the proper co-ordination of public 
praise is established, recognized and acted upon, a 
brighter and more beautiful day will dawn upon the 
church, and heaven will be brought nearer to earth 
than ever it has been. 

‘‘The real function of music is spiritual.’’ Its 
first and fundamental relations are to divine worship. 
Its highest ministry is to man’s highest nature. Mod- 
ern music is the creation of the Christian religion. 
Harmony is the peculiar property of the church. 
Herein is expressed the most distinctive and vital 
elements of our creed—the sovereignty of God, the 
brotherhood of man, the indissoluble union of the 
beautiful and the true, the elevation of mankind from 
sin to holiness through the Redeemer. 

God speed the day when this shall be better under- 
stood and our worship maintain the right proportion 
between the spiritual, the practical, and the zsthetic. 


“TET THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE, O! GOD: 
LET ALL THE PEOPLE PRAISE THEE.”’ 


Fints. 


oy ‘ 
enue 


Re 
aust 





Pee NDE x OF SEIRST LINES 


Of Hymns Quoted at Length 


Abide with me: fast falls the eventide. 


A debtor to mercy alone. Toplady - 


Ah, Jesu Christ, my Lord most dear. 
All hail the power of Jesus’ name. 
All praise to thee, Eternal Lord. Luther 
A mighty fortress is our God. Luther-Hedge 


Lyte 


Heinrich - - 
Perronet 


Amazing grace! how sweet the sound. Newton - - 


Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat. 
Art thou weary? art thou languid? 
Ascend thy throne, Almighty King. Beddome 
Brief life is here our portion. 


Newton 
St. Stephen-N eale 


Bernard-Neale 


» Brightest and best of the sons of the morning! 


Day of wrath, oh, dreadful day. Thomas of Celano-Stanley 


Heber - 


Delay not, delay not; O sinner, draw near. Hastings - 


Dies ire, dies illa. 


Thomas of Celano 


Father! whate’er of earthly bliss. Sveele 
Fear not, O little flock, the foe. Altenburg-Winkworth - 
Fling out the banner, let it float. Doane 


From Greenland’s icy mountains. 


Glory be to God on high - ° ‘ 
Glory to thee, my God, this night. Ken 


Glorious things of thee are spoken. 


God in the Gospel of his Son. Beddome 


God moves in a mysterious way. Cowper 


Heber 


= 


Newton 


Guide me, O thou great Jehovah. Walliams 
Hail to the brightness of Zion’s glad morning. 
Hail to the Lord’s anointed. Montoomery - 
Hark, hark, my soul! Faber - > 

Hark! the herald angels sing. Wesley - 

Hark! the song of jubilee. Monigomery 
Hasten, Lord! the glorious time. Auber 


Hic breve vivitur. 


Bernard of Cluny -~ 
351 


PAGE 
200 


145 


139 
41 
40 

130 

131 

241 

150 
30 

171 


176 

35 
120 

44 
204 
168 

16 

96 
133 
152 
130 
123 
175 
156 
235 
115 
158 
162 

20 


352 Index of First Lines 


Holy and infinite! viewless! eternal! Havergal - - 
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty! Heber - - 
Hora Novissima. Bernard of Cluny - - - - 
How blest is he who ne’er consents. Tateand Brady - 


Hush, my dear, lie stillandslumber. Watts - - - 
Iesus, pro me perforatus. Toplady-Gladstone - - 
I fall asleep in Jesus’ arms. ber - - - - 
If God were not upon our side. Jonas - > - 
I heard the voice of Jesus say. Bonar - - - 
I know that my Redeemer lives. Wesley - ~ - 
I know no life divided. Spitta-Massie » - ~ 
I lay my sins on Jesus. Bonar - - . - - 
I love to steal awhile away. Brown - - - - 
Inspirer and Hearerof Prayer. Toplady - - ~ 
I will sing unto the Lord. Exodus xv. a el ss be 
Jerusalem! my happy home! Montgomery - - - 
Jerusalem, the glorious! Bernard-Neale_ - - > 
Jerusalem the golden. Bernard-Neale ~ ~ + 
Jesu, dulcis memoria. Bernard of Clairvaux - - 


Jesus! Ilove thy charming name. Doddridge’ - - 
Jesus, I my cross havetaken. Lyte - - - - 
Jesus! lover of my soul. Wesley - - - - 
Jesus, stillleadon. von Zinzendor}-Borthwick - - 
Jesus, the very thought of thee. Bernard-Caswall - 
Jesus, these eyes have neverseen. Palmer - - ~ 


Jesus, thou Joy of loving hearts. Palmer - - - 
Jesus, where’er thy people meet. Cowper - - - 
‘Just as I am, without one plea. Eliott - - - 
Keep silence all created things. Watts - aot = 
Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom. Newman 
Let party namesnomore. Beddome - - - - 


Lo! he comes, with clouds descending. Cennick-Wesley 
Look from thy sphere ofendlessday. Bryant - - 
Magnificat anima mea. - - - - - = 
YMore love to thee, O Christ. Prentiss - - - 
My. country, ’tisofthee. S.F.Smith - - ~ - 
yYMy.faithlooksuptothee. Palmer - - - = 
My God, my Father! whileI stray. Eliott . - 
My Jesus, as thou wilt! Schmolck-Borthwick - - 
“Nearer, my God, to thee! Adams - - « : 


247 
172 
29 


106 
144 

43 

43 
225 
117 

5° 
224 
177 
145 

12 
T55 
240 

30 

32 
Tog 
198 
113 

49 

32 
217 
216 
132 
189 
104 
207 
151 
124 
203 
262 
212 
220 
215 
190 
23r 
210 


Index of First Lines 


Nearer, O God, tothee. How - - “ “s z 2 
New every morning is the love. Keble - - - E 
Now thank weallour God. Rinkart-Winkworth - - 
O blessed man, that doth notin. Ainsworth - ° : 
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing. Wesley a he . 
Oh, that the Lord’s Salvation. Lyte - - apr MON SOL 
VOh, worship the King, all-glorious above. Grané - - - 
O Jesus Christ; ifsin there be. Caswall - - - 4 
O Jesus! King most wonderful. Bernard-Caswall ai hie 
O Jesus, thou art standing - “ A a xi t 
O Paradise! O Paradise! Faber A aie Neale) OR Oo 
O! sacred Head, now wounded. Bernard-Gerhardt-Alexander 
O Thou, the One supreme o’erall! Gregory of N. - - 
O world, I must forsake thee. Heinrich  - - - f 


Our blest Redeemer ere he breathed. Auber - a iB 
Our yet unfinished story. Havergal - - mie em tS 


uid frustra rabidi. Buchanan - - - ‘ * 
"Rock of Ages, cleftforme. Toplady - - - = = 
Salve caput cruentatem. Bernard of Clairvaux - + - 
Saviour, when in dust to thee. Grant - > sities é 
Shepherd of tender youth. Clemens - - - a A 
Since Jesusis my friend. Gerhardt-Winkworth - - - 
Softly now the light of day. Doane - - - _ - 


Soon may the last gladsongarise. Vokes - - - - 
Sun of my soul, thou Saviour dear. Keble - - 2 - 
TeDeumlaudamus_ - - - AL alae bide 


- Tenthousandtimestenthousand. Alford - A ~ 


That man hath perfect blessedness. Rous - - - 
The man is blest that hath not lent. Sternhold & Hopkins - 
The morning light is breaking. S. PF. Smith . - - 
The Lord our God is fullof might. H.K. White - - - 
The Son of God goes forth to war. Heber - - - - 
The Spacious firmament on high. Addison - - ° - 
The strife is o’er, the battle done. - - “ ol Ti 
Then this our comfc..isalone. Eber - - . - . 
There is a fountain filled with blood. Cowper - - - 


There isa green hillfaraway. Mrs. Alexander - 8s Fhe 
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy. Jaber - - - i 
Thou, whose almighty word. Marriott - - - - 


Thy life was givenforme. Havergal- - - - = 


353 


34, 


211 
194 
45 
69 
116 
202 
179 
239 
238 
252 
235 
273 
23 
38 
162 
249 
56 
143 
33 
180 
19 
47 
206 
164 
196 
18 
228 
67 
66 
218 
184 
172 
98 
285 
43 
134 
243 
233 
165 
248 


354 Index of First Lines 


Unveil thy bosom, faithfultomb. Watts - 
Ut queantlaxis  - - - - - - 
When gathering clouds around I view. Grau 
When I survey the wondrous cross. Watts 


When marshalled on the nightly plain. H. XK. White 
When wounded sore the stricken soul. Mrs. Alexander 


Ye Christian heralds, go proclaim. Vokes - 


106 
269 
181 
103 
184 
244 
164 


IT. 


INDEX 


PAGE 
America - - - 220 
Arlington - - - 305 
Antioch - 261, 306, 310, 311 
Azmon - - - 310 
Bard - - - - 319 
Bethany ~ - 310, 311 
Boylston - - - 310 
Coronation - - - 318 
Cowper - - STOR art 
Creation - - - 98 
Dennis ~ - - 310 
Duke Street - - - 305 
Dundee - > - 303 
Ein Feste Burg. - - 290 
Emmelar- - - - 319 
Ephratah- - . 321 
Evening Prayer - - 337 
Geneva - - 306, 316 
God Save the King - 220 
Gregorian - - 262, 310 
Hamburg - - 310, 311 
Harwell - - - 310 
Hebron - - - 310 
Just as I Am - - - 319 
Laban - - 310, 323 
Lenox - ~ - 306, 316, 319 
Lischer - - - 310 
PRU DCALR Rely) Senne 8 TG 
Lux Benigna “Nims SIO 
Mendebras -~ - - gio 
Merrial > - - 319 
MilesLane -~ - - 318 
Missa Pape Marcelli - 282 


OF TUNES 


Missionary Hymn - 
Naomi - - 
Nicea - - - 
Northfield - - 
Nun danket Gott - 
Old Hundred - 

58, 261, 293, 
Olivet - - ~ 
Palestrina - - 
Passion Chorale - 
Repose - - 
Rockingham, Old - 
Serenity - - 
Soldiers of Christ - 
St. Anns (St. Anne) 
St. Gertrude - 
St. Leonard - - 
St. Louis - - 
St. Michael - - 
Stile Famigliare 


Tallis’ Evening Hymn - 


Toplady - - 
Twilight . - 
Uxbridge - - 
Vox Dilecti - - 
Waltham - - 
Ward - - - 
Wareham - - 
Wesley - - 
Windsor - > 
Woodworth - - 
Yankee Doodle - 


355 


PAGE 
170, 310 
- 310 
173, 314 
- 316 
- 291 


298, 299, 328 


- 310 
- 285 
273, 292 
. 319 
m 3°05 
- 320 
- 323 
° 304 
: 319 
- 318 
- 321 
= 393 
- 283 
297 

yl 175 
- 319 
~ 310 
225, 314 
- 204 
~ 310 
- 3°5 
176, 310 
. 393 
* 319 
° 327 


III. GENERAL INDEX 
Abbreviations, L. and W.—Life and Work 


ABELARD, 31. 

ADAMS, SARAH F., L. and W., 209. 

ADDISON, JOSEPH, L. and W., 97. 

AINSWORTH PSALTER, 64; example from, 69. 
ALEXANDER, CEcIL F., L. and W., 243. 
ALEXANDER, REV. Dr. J. W., translation of, 34. 
ALFORD HENRY, L. and W., 227. 

ALTENBURG, REV. J. M., “ Battle hymn”’ of, 44. 
AMBROSE, work in hymody, 25; in music, 258. 
AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS, 79. 
ANATOLIUS, Bishop of Constantinople, 24. 
ANATOLIUS, the hymn-writer, 24. 

ANDREW, ST., OF JERUSALEM, 24. 

“ANGLICAN HYMNOLOGY,”’ quoted, 83, 95, 116, 124, 162, 180, 197. 
ANGLICAN CHURCH MUSIC, 295. 
ANGLO-GENEVAN PSALTER, 58. 

ANTHEM, THE, 295. 

ARIANS, hymns of the, 21. 

ARMINIAN HYMNODY, II7, 144, 147. 

ARNE, THOMAS A., 305. 

ASAPH, I4. 

AUBER, HARRIET, L. and W., 16r. 

AUGUSTINE, ST., 259. 


BACH, JOHN SEBASTIAN, 273, 286, 292, quoted, 347. 
BAPTIST MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ENGLAND, 79, 149. 
BARNBY, SIR JOSEPH, 312. 

BAXTER, 75. 

““BAy PSALMIST,”’ 63. 

BEDDOME, BENJAMIN, L. and W., 140. 

“ BELGIAN SCHOOL, THE,” 278, 281. 

*“BENEDICITE, THE,” 18. 


356 


General Index 357 


BENEDICTIS, JACOBUS DE, 28. 

BENSON, REV. Dr. L. F., see ‘BEST CoHurcH Hymns.” 

BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX, 216, 236, 238; L. and W., 31. 

BERNARD OF CLUNY, 27, 236, 240; L. and W., 28. 

“BrEst CHURCH Hymns, THE,” quoted, 86, 115, 140, 142, 155, 180, —* 
197. 

Brst HyMNns, qualities of, 89. 

BEZE, THEODORE DE, 54, 292. 

iiss, Pati 332- 

BOHLER, PETER, 112. 

Bonar, HORATIUS, 314; L. and W., 222. 

BoRTHWICK, JANE, translations of, 48; L. and W., 230. 

BROOKS, PHILLIPS, 204, 321. 

Brown, PHa:BE, L. and W., 177. 

BRYANT, WILLIAM C., L. and W., 203. 

BUCHANAN’S PSALTER, 55. 

BUNYAN, 75. 

“BURIAL OF MOSES,” 243. 

BuRNS, ROBERT, 153. “Cotter’s Saturday Night,” quoted, 303. 


CADENCE, 256. 

CALVINISTIC HYMNODY, 104, I17, 142, 144, 147. 
“CANON, THE,” 278; revival of, in hymn-tunes, 308. 
CAREY, WILLIAM, 149, I5I. 

CARLYLE, 40. 

CASWALL, EDWARD, translations of, 32; L. and W., 236. 
CENNICK, JOHN, L. and W., 122. 

CHANTS, origin, 261; Gregorian, 26r. 

CHARLES I. OF ENGLAND, 72. 

CHARLES JI. and Bishop Ken, 94. 

CHARLES V. OF SPA, 53- 

CHATFIELD, REv. ALLEN W., translation of, 23. 
CHENANIAH, I4. 

CHCRALS, 37, 288. 

“CHRISTIAN YEAR, THE,” 192. 

CLARK, Dr. ADAM, and Montgomery, 157. 
CLEMENS OF ALEXANDRIA, his hymn, 19. 

COLE, JOHN, 3006. 

CONFUCIUS, quoted, 346. 

CONSTANTINE, liturgy of, 21. 


358 General Index 


CoNTRACTUS, HERMANNUS, 27. 

CosMAS, ST., 24. 

CoUNCIL oF TRENT, action regarding music, 281. 
COUNTERPOINT, 271. 

COVERDALE’S PSALTER, 55. 

CowPER, WILLIAM, L. and W., 126. 

CROFT, WILLIAM, 304. 

CROMWELL, 72. 

CrosBY, FANNIE, 81, 331. 

CRUGER, JOHANN, chorals of, 291. 

CuRWEN, “Studies in Worship Music,” quoted, 328, 333, 336. 
CUYLER, THEODORE, quoted, 154, 160, 223, 227. 


DAVID, his choir, 14; his psalms and his age, 70. 
DAVIDSON, REv. JAMES, quoted, 250. 

DAYE, JOHN, psalter of, 297. 

DEXTER, REv. H. M., translation of, 19. 

“DE CONTEMPTU MUNDI,” 28. 

DICKINSON, PRoF. EDWARD, quoted, 263, 285, 334. 
“Dies IR#,”’ 27, 35, and Cennick, 124. 

DISCANT, 271. 

‘DOANE, GEORGE WASHINGTON, L. and W., 204. 
DODDRIDGE, PHILLIP, L. and W., 108, 150. 
“Doric” (or “ Dorian”’) Scale, 257. 

DUFFIELD, REV. GEORGE, 27; quoted, 33, 115. 
DUNDEE, revival in, 222. 

DUFAY, GUILLAUME, 278. 

DYKES, REV. J. B., 173, 225, 229; L. and W., 313. 


EBER, PAUL, 43. 

““EccE Homo, THE,” 248. 

Epson, LEwIs, 306. 

EDGWORTH, THOMAS, 169. 
EDWARDS, JOHN H.., quoted, 346. 
EGYPTIAN HYMNS, I2. 

“EIN FESTE BuRG,”’ 40, 290. 
ELLIOTT, CHARLOTTE, L. and W., 187. 
Etson, Louts C., quoted, 282. 
EPHREM, SYRUS, 22. 

EUSEBIUS, I09. 

EVANGELISTIC Hymns, 76, 148, 187. 


General Index 359 


FABER, F. W., 193; L. and W., 232. 

“FAMILIAR HYMNS, STUDIES IN,” quoted, r21. 

FINDLATER, SARAH, L. and W., 230. 

FORTUNATUS, 28. 

Fox, REv. WILLIAM J., 209. 

FRANCIS I. OF FRANCE, 52, 53; 54- 

FRANCO OF COLOGNE, 274. 

FRENCH REVOLUTION, 77. 

FRENCH TUNES, 292. 

FUGUE-TUNES, developed, 306; disappear, 316; revived, 338. 


GERHARDT, PAUL, 34; L. and W., 45. 

GERMAN CHORALS, 37, 288. 

GENEVAN PSALTER, 54, 293, 301, 303. 

GLADSTONE, W. E., Latin version of ‘‘ Rock of Ages,” 143. 
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS, 16. 

GLoRIA PATRI, 16. 

GNOSTICS, hymns, 21. 

GOSPEL SoncGs, fugue-tunes, 307; origin, 331. 

Goss, SIR JOHN, 312. 

GOUDIMEL, CLAUDE, 293. 

GRANT, SIR RoBERT, L. and W., 179. 

“GREAT Four,” hymns, 85, 103. 

GREAT REVIVAL of 1800, effects, 78. 

GREEK HYMNS, I1, 22; compared with Latin, 26; tunes, 255. 
GREEK SCALES, 256. 

GREGORY THE GREAT, 259. 

GREGORY NAZIANZENUS, hymns, 22, and Bishop Ken, 95. 
GROSART, REv. DR., quoted, 142. 

Gurpo ARENTINO, L. and W., 268. 

GusTAvus ADOLPHUS, Battle hymn of, 43. 


“FIALLELUJAH, THE,” 17. 

HANDEL, 306. 

HASTINGS, THOMAS, 216; L. and W., 174. 
HATTON, JOHN, 305. 

HAVERGAL, FRANCES H., 120; L. and W., 245. 
HAwkEs, Mrs. ANNIE, 335- 

Haypn, 08. 

HEBER, REGINALD, 314; L. and W., 167. 
HEBREW HYMNS, 12. 


360 General Index 


HEDGE, Rev. F. H., translation, 40. 
HEINRICH OF LAUFENBURG, 38. 

HEMAN, I4. 

HILARY OF POITIERS, 25. 

HorMEs, O. W., 215. 

Hoty Sririt, hymns to, 27, 151, 162, 209. 
HomER, hymns of, 11. 

HOMOPHONIC ERA, 255. 

How, BIsHop, 211, 251. 

HUCBALD, L. and W., 265. 

HUGUENOTS, 53; 55: 

HuMPHREY’S “ EVOLUTION OF CHURCH Music,” quoted, 333. 
Huss, hymns of followers, 38. 
Hypo-DorIAN SCALE, 260. 

Hymn, THE TRUE, 89. 


“INVALID’S HYMN-BOOK, THE,” 187. 
ISODORE, ST., 263. 


JaMEs II. or ENGLAND, 74. 

“JESUS DULCIS MEMORIA,” 32. 

JOHN THE BAPTIST, hymn to, 268. 

JOHN, ST., OF JERUSALEM, 24. 

JONAS, JUSTUS, 42. 

JOSEPH, SAINT, THE HYMNOGRAPHER, 25. 

JULIAN, EMPEROR, urges writing heathen hymns rr, and Gregory, 23. 
JuLrAn’s “ DICTIONARY OF HYMNOLOGY,”’ quoted, 52, 142, 160, 250. 


KEBLE, JOHN, L. and W., 191. 

KELSO, 197; “Tracts,” 222. 

KEMPIs, THOMAS A, 127. 

KEN BISHOP, morning hymn, 93; L. and W., 94; imitated by Keble, 
194, and Doane, 205; music of Tallis, 297. 

KING, JAMES, see “ ANGLICAN HYMNOLOGY.” 

Kirk, THE ScotcH, psalmody of, 59; disruption, 223. 

KwNApp, WILLIAM, 305. 

KNOX, JOHN, at Geneva, 58. 


LATIN HyMns, 26. 
Lasso, ORLANDO DI, 281. 


General Index 361 


Laus PATRIZ CCELESTIS, 27. 

LEIPzic, battle of, 44. 

LEvITES, in Temple Choir, 15. 

LONGFELLOW, quoted, 64. 

LUCAS OF PRAGUE, 39- 

LuTHER, hymns of 39, 289; Co-laborers of, 42; psalmody, 53. 

LYDIAN SCALE, 257. 

LytTE, Henry F., L. and W., 197, and Montgomery, 201, and Bonar, 
222. 


“MAGNIFICAT, THE,” 17. 

MARGUERITE DE VALOIS, 53. 

MALAN, Dr. C2SAR, 188. 

MArRoT, CLEMENT, L. and W., 52, 292. 

MARRIOTT, JOHN, L. and W., 165. 

Mason, LOWELL, “Missionary Hymn,” 170; “Wesley,” 176, and 
Palmer, 216, and S. F. Smith, 221; fugue-tunes, 306; L. and 
W., 308. 

MASSIE RICHARD, translations, 50. 

“MATER SPECIOSA,” 28. 

MATHER, RICHARD, 64. 

MAuRUvS, RABANUS, 27. 

METHODISM, rise of, 112, Counter-movement, 193; music of, 304; 
see ‘“‘ARMINIAN HyYMNopy.” 

MILLER, EDWARD, 305. 

MISSIONARY Hymns, 76, 79, 148. 

Mrxo-LypDIAN SCALE, 258. 

Moopy, D. L., 331. 

Monk, W. H., 285, 312. 

MONTGOMERY, JAMES, L. and W., 153, and Lyte, 201. 


NAPOLEONIC WaRsS, effects, 77. 

“NATIONAL HYMN-BOOK, THE,” 85. 

NEALE, JOHN M., translations, 24, 30; L. and W., 236. 
*“NEUMES,” 263. 

NEw ENGLAND, in first period, 72. 

NEWMAN, JOHN HENRY, 193, 232, 237; L. and W., 206, 
NEWTON, JOHN, L. and W., 126. 

“Nunc Dimittis, THE,” 17. 

NUTTER’s “HyMN STUDIES,” quoted, 219. 


362 General Index 


“OLNEY Hymns, THE,” 120. 

OLtyMpvus, TETRACHORD OF, 256. 

“ORATIO RHYTHMICA AD CHRISTUM,”’ 33. 
ORGANUM, the sacred, 266; the profane, 267. 
OxFORD MOVEMENT, II, 232, 237- 


PALESTRINA, L. and W., 281, 293, 296, 299. “The Modern P., 308. 

PALMER, RAY, 33; L. and W., 214. 

PASCHAL SUPPER, hymns of, 15. 

Parry, C. H. H., quoted, 287. 

PERRONET, EDWARD, L. and W., 137. 

PHILLIPS, PHILIP, 331. 

PHRYGIAN SCALE, 257. 

Prius IV., Pops, 282. 

Puiny’s LETTER, 19, 346. 

PoETRY, index of its age, 70. 

“PopE MARCELLUS, Mass oF,” 282. 

PRAYER, Hymns on, 131, 132, 158; and Praise, 344. 

PRENTISS, Mrs. E. P., 212. 

PROTESTANTISM, effect on hymnody, 73, 76. 

PsaLmMopy, French and German, 52; English, 55; Scotch, 59; 
American, 63. 

PRUDENTIUS, 25. 

PSALM-TUNES, 294, 301. 

PURITANS, 74; music, 295. 

PUSEYISM, see “OXFORD MOVEMENT.” 


“RAPPORTS,” 301. 

RELIGIoUS Wars, effects on hymnody, 74. 

RINKART, MARTIN, 45. 

Rippon, REv. JOHN, 141. 

ROBERT II. oF FRANCE, 27. 

ROBINSON, REv. CHARLES, quoted, 33, 38, 142, 163, 187, 239, 243. 
“Rock oF AGES,” tested by rules of true hymn, go. 

ROMAN CATHOLIC FORMS OF PRAISE, 28, 37, 289. 

ROYAL PSALTER, 60. 

Rous’ VERSION OF PSALMS, 60, 302; example from, 67. 


“SABBATH HYMN-BOOK,”’ 41. 
“SACRED ORGANUM,”’ 266. 


General Index 363 


SCALES, GREEK, 256; “Authentic,” 260; “Plagal,’? 260; Guido’s, 
268. 

SCHMOLCK, BENJAMIN, 51, 231. 

SCRIPTURES, and public praise, 345. 

SHIPLEY, DEAN, 169. 

- SMART, HENRY, 312. 

SMITH, S. F., L. and W., 214. 

SOLOMON, music of, 14. 

SOUTHEY, ROBERT, 183. 

“SPIRIT OF THE PSALMS,”’ by Miss Auber, 161; by Lyte, aor. 

SPITTA, REV. Cart J., L. and W., 49. 

STANLEY, DEAN, translation of Digs Ir&, 36. 

“STABAT MATER,” 28. 

STEELE, ANNA, L. and W., 119; and Miss Havergal, 251. 

STEBBINS, GEORGE C., 337. 

STEPHEN, ST., OF SABAS, 24, 241. 

STERNHOLD, THOMAS, psalter, 57; associated with John Hopkins, 58; 
complete psalter, 59; example from, 66; first with tunes, 294. 

“STILE FAMIGLIARE,”’ 283. 

“SWAN SONG, THE,” 43. 

“SYLLABIC”’ TUNES, 304. 


TALuis, THOMAS, L. and W., 296. 

TATE AND BRADY, 62; example from, 68. 
Le LUM, LAE,” 17. 

TEMPLE, music of the, 14. 

TENOR Part, at first carried the air, 272. 
THIRTY YEARS WAR, 43, 72. 

THOMAS OF CELANO, 28, 35. 

TOTENHAM CouURT CHAPEL, 147. 
TopLapy, REv. A. M., L. and W., 141. 
“TRACTARIAN CONTROVERSY,”’ see ‘‘OXFORD MOVEMENT.”? 
TRENCH, ARCHBISHOP, 31. 

TRIPLE TIME, sacred, 275. 

TYE, SIR CHRISTOPHER, 303. 


“USAGE,” in hymnody, 82; in music, 315. 


‘VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS,”’ 27. 
“VENI SANCTE SPIRITUS,” 27. 
VOKEs, MRsS., 163, 171. 


364 General Index 


Warine, Miss A. L., L. and W., 242. 

Watts, Isaac, version of psalms, 63; L. and W., 99, 294; compared 
with Wesley, 118, and Montgomery, 157. 

WEBB, GEORGE J., 309. 

WELDE, THOMAS, 64. 

WESLEY, CHARLES, L. and W., 111, 294; compared with Watts, 118, 
and Cennick, 124, and Perronet, 137, and Toplady, 142, 144, 
and Lyte, 199. 

WESLEY, JOHN, hymns of, r1r. 

Wairt, Henry Kirk, L. and W., 182. 

WHITEFIELD, 128, 142, 147. 

WHITTLE, Maj. D. W., 332. 

WILLIAMS, WILLIAM, L. and W., 122. 

WINKWORTH, Miss, translations of, 40, 44, 46, 291; L. and W., 230. 

WOLSEY, CARDINAL, 53. 


“YEAR OF WONDERS,” 73. 


ZINZENDORF, COUNT VON, 248; L. and W., 48. 


Bis / Le 
’ i‘ : 
bot w oe Pasay 
wt g's a a ae ie 


9 Pea xs 
a 
a 


4 
, 








= id —s 
a - J 
7 7 7 7 a > a —— e = 
To ¥ = 
oe — 





UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 


| 


3 0112 003590335 





